This dish showcases the bounty of summer: gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn, basil and a simple, flavorful whipped-garlic sauce called toum. The dish can be enjoyed for lunch, brunch or dinner. Serve with warm pita or toasted bread and enjoy.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Toum

Category

Category name

Serves

2-4

For the Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 ears of corn, shucked
  • 4 to 6 heirloom tomatoes in varying sizes
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup basil leaves
  • ¼ cup sesame seed
  • 2 tablespoons dried Aleppo chili or crushed red pepper flakes, optional
  • 4 tablespoons toum, recipe follows

Method

  1. Preheat the grill to hot.
  2. Place the corn on the hot grill, turning it continuously until it is nicely charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Let it cool before using a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cob. I also cut the corn from the cob by placing the cooled corn, root side down, in a small bowl and cut off the kernels carefully with a sharp knife. The kernels should all land inside the bowl. Transfer the kernels in a medium bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
  3. Cut the tomatoes into slices, quarters and/or halves, depending on their size, and add them to a large bowl. Liberally drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the vinegar. Add half the basil leaves, tearing large ones into pieces, and toss well. Set aside for up to 1 hour.
  4. In a small pan, toast the sesame seeds, stirring and shaking continuously over medium heat until they are fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Dump the seeds out onto a baking sheet or cold plate before stirring in the Aleppo chili. When cool, transfer to a small bowl.
  5. To assemble the salad, spread the toum on the base of a plate or platter. Using a slotted spoon, arrange the tomatoes on top of the toum, large tomatoes first and then a layer of the small and medium tomatoes on top. Sprinkle the grilled corn and sesame seed mix on top. Finish by spooning some of the tomato juices over the tomatoes. Garnish with the remaining basil leaves and sprigs.

For the Toum

Ingredients

  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled, with germ removed
  • ¼ cup room temperature water
  • 2 cups canola oil
  • 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt

Method

  1. In a small bowl, soak the garlic in the water until it’s a little softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the garlic and water to the bowl of a food processor and process until chopped to a rough paste, about 2 minutes. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in half of the oil in a slow, steady stream. Be patient because if you add the oil too fast, the sauce will not come together smoothly. Add half of the lemon juice and continue to drizzle in the remaining oil. Keep an eye on the sauce; it will thicken to the consistency of mayonnaise before you use all the oil. Stop adding oil when you achieve a thick sauce. Add the remaining lemon juice and season with salt.