Heirloom tomatoes are having an especially good season this year, not only here in New England where I live, but also in France where my husband and I traveled recently. Chefs everywhere seem to be giving them starring roles on their menus. At a restaurant on the south shore of Massachusetts, I savored a first course of multi-hued heirlooms cut into wedges, then drizzled with a basil and garlic sauce. Garnishes included some fresh ricotta and warm focaccia. Farther away in Paris at Verjus, a well known place in the city’s first arrondissement, one of my favorite dishes on their tasting menu was a plate of sliced heirloom tomatoes and roasted garlic cloves tossed in cider vinaigrette. Both these creations served as inspiration for the Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pistou and Whipped Ricotta featured here today.

For this salad, I prepared pistou, a Provencal style pesto, by pureeing basil, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil in a food processor (the whole operation takes less than 10 minutes).  Then I cleaned and used my Cuisinart again to quickly whip some fresh ricotta into a creamy smooth consistency. To assemble the salad, sliced heirloom tomatoes are arranged on a serving plate and topped with spoonfuls of pistou. Dollops of the whipped ricotta form a border around the tomatoes while toasted baguette slices rubbed with garlic are another garnish. The flavors of the perfectly ripened heirlooms and the garlic and herb-scented pistou pair beautifully with the silken smooth ricotta and the crunchy toasts.

For Labor Day weekend menus, this salad would make a delicious accompaniment to all manner of main courses. Try it with grilled salmon or shellfish, or use it with steaks, burgers, or chops. You can prepare the pistou and whip the ricotta a day ahead. The salad itself can be assembled 2 to 3 hours before serving and kept in the fridge. 

Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone!

 

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Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pistou, and Whipped Ricotta

Pistou
1/2 cup loosely packed torn basil leaves plus 8 extra basil leaves for garnish
1 tsp coarsely chopped garlic
6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano
7 tbsp olive oil, divided

3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 tsp kosher salt plus extra for seasoning
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
2 pd heirloom tomatoes in varying colors and varieties
Toasted baguette slices rubbed with garlic (Recipe follows.)

1.To make the pistou, put the basil leaves and garlic in a food processor and pulse several times until mixture is coarsely chopped. Add grated Parmesan and pulse until combined. With machine running, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a thin, steady stream and pulse until the mixture is a smooth paste.  Remove the pistou to a small bowl and stir in 4 remaining tablespoons of olive oil to thin the mixture so it can be used as a sauce. (Pistou can be prepared a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using and whisk well to combine.)

2. To prepare the whipped ricotta, clean and dry the bowl, top, and blade of the food processor and then add the ricotta plus 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper. Process 1 minute until cheese is smooth and creamy. (Ricotta can be prepared a day ahead; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

3.To assemble the salad, cut tomatoes crosswise into slices that are 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick, and arrange them overlapping on a serving plate. Season them generously with salt and pepper, and then spoon some pistou over each tomato. (You may have some pistou left over; it’s great on cooked pasta.)

4.Around the border of the tomatoes, spoon 8 generous dollops of whipped ricotta, spacing them equidistantly from each other. Garnish each dollop with a basil leaf.  Serve the tomatoes with the garlic toasts and with the ricotta. Serves 6

Toasted Baguette Slices
6 baguette slices cut 1/2-inch thick on a sharp diagonal
Olive oil for brushing on the bread slices
1 to 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled

1.Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.Place baguette slices on a rimmed baking sheet and brush them on both sides with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and bake 4 minutes on one side and then turn and bake about 3 minutes on the other side.

3.Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer baguette slices to a plate. When cool enough to handle rub each toasted bread slice on one side with a garlic clove. (Baguette slices can be prepared 2 hours ahead; leave at room temperature.)

Makes 6 servings.

Copyright Betty Rosbottom 2024