Tomatoes à la Bruxelles

Stuffed tomatoes were frequently served alongside meat in the Downton era, and Victorian and Edwardian cookery books provided an abundance of recipes for them. They were especially well suited to the à la russe style of service common in upper-class homes, in which courses were brought to the table in a prescribed order and portioned by a servant.

For this simple preparation, it is best to use homemade bread crumbs, as storebought crumbs will typically be too dry, with the ex