Would blow-torching tomatoes have the desired “oven roasted” effect

I wouldn't bother keeping the skins, if they're hurting the texture. Many recipes using tomatoes end up removing skins for this reason. My exec chef showed me an easy way to remove the skin from tomatoes (we were doing tomato concasse):

1. Wash tomatoes thoroughly, and slice a shallow cross in the bottom.
2. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and also prepare an ice water bath nearby.
3. Drop tomatoes into the boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute, until the skin starts to crack.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes to ice water to cool for a minute or two
5. Peel -- the skin should already be peeling back around the X-mark.

You've already given the name for this process in your question. Reduction is the cooking term used for thickening and intensifying the flavor of a food by simmering or boiling away some of the liquid.