Tomato season is here; if you’re looking to put the bounty to good use (alongside a slew of hot-off-the grill treats), chef Jessica Biederman has a superb summer salad that’s fresh and simple. She uses a combination of tomatoes (heirloom, kumato and cherry) for a variety of both tastes and sizes, and takes the classic recipe up a notch with the addition of a creamy and herb-heavy green goddess dressing. Let the corn, avocado and tomatoes sit with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a few minutes before plating to allow the flavors to marry, and serve with your favorite loaf of crusty bread.
Summer Heirloom Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn
- 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes
- 1/2 pound kumato tomatoes
- 1 pint red/yellow cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- Green goddess dressing (recipe below)
- 8 ounces burrata (two 4 ounce pieces)
- 2 sprigs of basil, torn
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 bunch chive
- 1/2 bunch tarragon
- 2 ounces chervil
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/8 cup tarragon vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 3 cups mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- To make the green goddess dressing, blanch, shock and press water from the herbs (flat leaf parsley, chive, tarragon and chervil). In a blender, blend blanched herbs with avocado, tarragon vinegar and garlic cloves.
- Remove from blender and fold in sour cream and mayonnaise. Season to taste with kosher salt and ground black pepper to your preference. Set aside.
- Grill corn and remove from cob. Slice and cut tomatoes into different shapes to your liking. Cut avocado in 1/2 inch pieces.
- In a small bowl, toss grilled corn, tomatoes and avocado with 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil and 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar.
- With the green goddess dressing in a squeeze bottle, dot plate with as much as desired. Place tomatoes on top of goddess dots. Leave a whole in the center for burrata. Place burrata in the reserved plate space.
- Garnish with basil. (Chef's note: for texture, we use crispy hominy — the store sells them as corn nuts.)