Mascarpone Budini With Sungold Tomato Compote

Ingredients

For the compote

• 5 1/2 cups sungold tomatoes
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, halved, sliced paper thin and chopped, with peel
• 1 cup sultana raisin
• lemon juice, to taste
• sugar, to taste

For the budini

• 5 ounces softened cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 13 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 3/4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 oranges, zest of, finely grated
• 1/2 lemon, zest of, finely grated

Directions

1. 1

   For the compote: (You can make the compote up to 2 days ahead.) Preheat the oven to 325°, or a convection oven 300°. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the tomatoes. Cut the remaining 4 cups in half lengthwise. Place them with their cut sides up on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue cooking until the tomatoes are dry but not brittle, 1-1 1/2 hours.

2. 2

   Place the reserved 1 1/2 cups tomatoes into a blender, and blend to make 1 cup thin puree.

3. 3

   Bring 1 cup of water along with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar to a boil and add the lemon. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then add the roasted tomatoes and raisins. Cook until the mixture is bubbling fiercely, add the tomato puree, and cook another few minutes, stirring well with a heatproof spatula so that the bottom of the pan does not scorch.

4. 4

   Remove the compote from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add more sugar to taste, and, if needed, a squeeze of lemon. Spoon generously over each budino.

5. 5

   For the Budini: Spray 10 to 12 six-ounce ramekins with oil and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

6. 6

   In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until completely blended. Add the mascarpone and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl well. Add the lemon juice and orange and lemon zests. Pour into the prepared ramekins.

7. 7

   Preheat the oven to 325° (300° for a convection oven). Place the ramekins in a pan large and deep enough to fit all of them, such as a roasting pan, and pour in boiling hot water until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the budinos are set, 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath. Remove from the water bath and chill thoroughly before inverting each ramekin onto a plate so that the budino comes out. Discard the parchment paper circles.