Heirloom Tomato Salad

July 5, 2018

The quintessential summer salad.

Ingredients

2 Brandywine, Black Krim, or other heirloom tomatoes (about 1 ½ pounds)

4 Green Zebra, Cherokee Purple, or other heirloom tomatoes (about 1 pound)

¼ cup (2 ounces) Herb Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

12 dried culinary lavender flowers

8 pea tendrils or baby arugula leaves

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup (4 ounces) avocado oil or vegetable oil

1 shallot, halved lengthwise

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) aged red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1 teaspoon wildflower honey

½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Cut the large tomatoes into ¼-inch-thick slices. (Reserve ends for another use, such as making tomato sauce.) Cut the small tomatoes into quarters. Arrange 2 to 4 tomato slices on each of 4 plates. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the Herb Vinaigrette.

2. Press the lavender flowers with the edge of a knife until they split. Sprinkle the tomato slices with some of the lavender. Top each salad with 4 to 6 tomato wedges. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Sprinkle evenly with more lavender.

3. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and saute 4 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender. Add the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, honey, thyme, and salt. Process on low speed 2 minutes until smooth. Slowly add remaining ¼ cup oil processing until emulsified. Stir in the parsley. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.