Heirloom Tomatoes - The Taste of Summer

When Heirloom Tomatoes finally show up at the local farm stands in late July I can't seem to get enough of them.  I make all sorts of different recipes with them from a stacked BLT salad with crispy bacon and blue cheese to a delicate French Feta Salad with tender just picked salat greens.  But the most frequent recipe is the simplest:  Just the tomatoes, basil and fresh soft mozzarella cheese.

 I like to buy a variety of sizes and colors for the salad and mound them up on large platters served family style.

The key technique no matter which recipe I'm making is to oil and salt the tomatoes 30 minutes to an hour before you assemble the salad.  This simple step will magnify the flavor of the already sweet tomatoes and make your salad absolutely delicious.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD

Heirloom Tomatoes

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Fresh Basil

Soft fresh mozzarella, sliced

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Slice the tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.  Do this about 30 minutes before you plan to assemble the salad and it will magnify the flavor of the tomatoes.  (This works with all tomatoes by the way,)

Assemble the salad alternating colors and sizes and tucking cheese and basil in wherever it fits.

Drizzle with Reduced Balsamic just before serving.