Description
Summer’s freshest salad brings Ina Garten’s blue cheese and heirloom tomato magic to your table. Kaleidoscopic tomato slices drizzled with tangy blue cheese dressing create an irresistible Mediterranean-inspired dish you cannot wait to savor.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 pounds (907 grams) heirloom tomatoes, cores removed
- 1 pint (473 milliliters) heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 8 ounces (226 grams) good Roquefort, such as Société
Seasonings and Herbs:
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh basil leaves, torn or julienned
Liquids and Dressing:
- Good red wine vinegar
- Good olive oil
Instructions
- Meticulously slice large heirloom tomatoes into elegant, uniform rounds, artfully positioning them across a spacious serving platter to create an appealing visual foundation.
- Carefully halve cherry tomatoes through their stem, ensuring each piece maintains its structural integrity, then delicately nestle these vibrant gems alongside the larger tomato slices.
- Liberally dust the tomato arrangement with kosher salt (approximately or 2.5 grams), allowing the crystals to enhance the natural sweetness of the tomatoes, then gracefully stream red wine vinegar (or 30 milliliters) over the surface.
- Allow the salad to rest for precisely 5 minutes, permitting the salt and vinegar to gently coax out the tomatoes’ inherent flavors and create a subtle marinating effect.
- Skillfully slice and crumble Roquefort cheese (or 56 grams), distributing the creamy, tangy morsels evenly across the tomato landscape.
- Delicately tear or julienne fresh basil leaves, scattering them with a light touch to provide an aromatic herbaceous layer to the composition.
- Conclude by drizzling extra virgin olive oil (or 15 milliliters) across the salad, and if desired, introduce a final whisper of salt and freshly ground black pepper to elevate the dish’s complexity.
- Serve at ambient temperature to maximize the tomatoes’ sweetness and the cheese’s nuanced flavors, allowing each ingredient to shine in its purest form.
Notes
- Grab sun-ripened tomatoes bursting with vibrant colors and deep flavor, ensuring your salad sings with fresh garden goodness.
- Allow vinegar to mingle with tomato slices for a magical 5-minute flavor transformation that deepens every single bite.
- Bring ingredients to room temperature before serving, letting each component whisper its delicious secrets without being masked by cold.
- Splurge on premium ingredients like extra-virgin olive oil, aged red wine vinegar, and creamy Roquefort – because spectacular salads start with exceptional components.
- Gently tear basil leaves by hand, releasing their intoxicating aroma and maintaining their delicate, rustic appearance for a restaurant-worthy presentation.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: None
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 4 servings
- Calories: 376
- Sugar: 9.5g
- Sodium: 402mg
- Fat: 30.8g
- Saturated Fat: 12.15g
- Carbohydrates: 15.1g
- Fiber: 3.1g
- Protein: 12.7g
- Cholesterol: 21mg