Martha Stewart Living (July/August 2013)
We arrived home from vacation late on Saturday night to an empty fridge, which is a rare occurrence in our house. There was very (very) little to eat. The fridge was so empty, the condiments looked nervous. We could have whipped up some mustard and Parmesan, but we'll leave that to the Bluths.
Sunday morning, we bounded out of bed, headed to the farmers market, and did a bit of restocking. This is our hands-down favorite time of the year at the farmers markets in our nation's capital. The heirloom tomatoes are beautiful. The corn is piled higher than our heads. Beans are pouring out of bins. There are mountains of peaches and nectarines. It's dreamy, really.
Loaded up with produce, we went home and got to cooking, starting with this salad of Heirloom Tomatoes with Cherries, Balsamic, and Hyssop.
This is the kind of salad that's tailor-made for August: 5 ingredients, less than 10 minutes of work, the freshest produce. Heirloom tomatoes are sliced. Cherry tomatoes are halved. Cherries are pitted. It's all tossed on a plate, drizzled with balsamic, and garnished with herbs (we were unable to find hyssop, so used purple basil instead). That's it. It's dark and elegant and absolutely delicious.
We can't remember having tomatoes with cherries before -- at least we're certain that we've never combined these two flavors in our home kitchen. Together, they're both sweet and tart, a luxurious combination when smeared with balsamic vinegar.
If this is August, we'll have more, please.
Heirloom Tomatoes with Cherries, Balsamic, and Hyssop
Martha Stewart Living (July/August 2013)
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(this photo: Maria Robledo for Martha Stewart Living)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
NOTES FROM ZACH AND CLAY
We subbed purple basil for fresh anise-hyssop, which we were unable to find locally.
INGREDIENTS
1 large ripe red heirloom tomato (about 8 ounces), sliced6 red cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh Bing cherries, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons small fresh anise-hyssop leaves and flowers (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Divide heirloom slices among 4 plates. Scatter cherry tomatoes and cherries on top, then drizzle with vinegar. Scatter hyssop on top.
