Make a shallow diagonal slit on the center of the bottom of a tomato.

Make another diagonal slit going the other way to form an "X" on the bottom.

As you can see, the "X" on the bottom goes just into the skin of the tomato.

Put the tip of a paring knife into the stem end of the tomato at an angle. Run the knife around the stem end.

This will allow you to remove the stem end in a cone-shaped piece.

Place the tomato into a simmering pot of water.

Cook the tomato for only a few seconds until the skin begins to break.

Place the tomato into a bowl of ice water to immediately stop the cooking.

When the tomato is cooled, remove it from the ice water. With a paring knife, grab the skin from one corner of the "X".

Pull the skin toward the stem end to remove it. If the skin does not come away easily, the tomato may have to be blanched a second or two more.

Using the shallow cuts of the "X" as a guide, halve the tomato.

Cut each half in half again.

Lay one tomato quarter onto a clean cutting board. Run your paring knife under the seeds to cut them away. This will form tomato petals.

Cut each petal into thin strips.

Cut across the strips to form squares of tomato. This cut is called a concasse.