Heirloom Tomato Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
By Suzanne Stack
Chef Stack relies on local farmers Blue Heron Farm, Muddy Fingers Farm, Lively Run Goat Dairy and Lucky Dog Farm, as well as her own garden produce to make this vibrant and delicious summer salad.
For the dressing:
¼ cup red balsamic vinegar
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ cup shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup grape seed oil
Ground black pepper, to taste
Place the vinegars, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, shallots and brown sugar in a medium-size bowl. Macerate for about 15 minutes. Add the mustard and fresh thyme. Slowly whisk in the oils until dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the salad:
1 head fennel
¼ pound haricots verts
3-4 pounds various heirloom tomatoes, cut either into slices, wedges or in half depending on the size (some of our favorites are Black Prince, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Yellow Brandywine and Orange Pineapple)
½ cup micro greens
6 ounces Cayuga Blue Cheese, cut into cubes
Slice the fennel very thin. Blanch the haricots verts in boiling salted water for 2 minutes then immediately plunge them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Place on a tray lined with paper towels. Dress the tomatoes with a few tablespoons of the Vinaigrette.
To plate, stack the tomatoes in the center of 6 salad plates. Carefully arrange the haricots verts and thinly sliced fennel on top of the tomatoes. Garnish with micro greens and Cayuga Blue cheese. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.
This recipe originally appeared in our Summer 2011 issue, which is available to subscribers via our online archive.
