Salts and Heirloom Tomatoes

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jpmcgrew said:
I got a 4 pack sampler Sel Gris with seaweed
Danish Viking-Smoked Sea Salt
Peruvian Pink
Japanese Nazuna
Have yet to try them
About four grains of that smoked salt on a thick half slice of Brandywine should knock your socks off. You'll smell it on your fingers for an hour afterwards. I really hope you have some fun with these and the tomatoes you are growing. It pleases me no end when anyone experiences something new and just has fun with it.
 
:) There are a whole bunch of salts I want to try but they get expensive I also have the Light Gray Celtic.Will let you know about the tomatoes.The reason Im doing this is the tomatoes you get these days have no flavor not like I remember like the ones you could get from farm stands when I was a kid.
It's an amazing feeling to grow something from a seed and grow it to something to eat,Im also trying to grow Jalapenos they are just starting to produce fruit.
So simple and yet amazing.At least to me.
 
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Atomic Buffalo Turds

jpmcgrew said:
:) Im also trying to grow Jalapenos they are just starting to produce fruit.
So simple and yet amazing.At least to me.

This is my second year growing jalapenos. Have you ever had Atomic Buffalo Turds, jpm? They are all the rage on BBQ forums, and deservedly so.

Slice jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds (wear gloves!). Stuff each half with cream cheese and a half of a cocktail weiner. Wrap each stuffed half with half a slice of bacon, and grill until the bacon is crisp. Best grilled over charcoal and wood, but people rave about them even if they're done on a gas grill.

Lee
 
:) Ive had jalapenos like that but with out the meat.
I have revised my recipe still use the cream cheese but I add some grated sharp cheddar and some feta to the cream cheese and mix well.I think mixing some good gorganzola into cream cheese would be reall good as well.
 
I just started eating a couple of my Brandywines and OMG are they great! They do live up to their billing - huge, juicy, sweet, meaty!

I saw a small jar of imported smoked salt at a farm stand this past weekend, and it was $15. Dark, almost black. Seemed too steep a price, even though it would probably last a long time.

I'll keep looking and stick with my fleur de sel in the meantime.

Lee
 
QSis said:
Hmmmm.

I've gone back to growing heirlooms from seed this year, for the first time in 15 years, because I was hoping that the flavor of the tomatoes would make up for the pain in the butt that they are. Yes, they are huge, and the number of fruits on each plant is small, and I have some spectacularly mutant ones, but I am still hoping that the flavors of the Brandywine and Rutgers will knock my socks off.

You weren't impressed, bucky?

Maybe I'll try the fancy salts, then.

Lee

Well, I have ONE spectacularly mutant Brandywine, that I've been watching all summer. It was one mutant one, next to a normal one, and they fused.

Ready to eat now! But, first, I have to take it to work to amaze my co-workers and customers!

Lee
 

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:) Well I got a Tomande Hybrid,juicy,meaty but too sweet for me.The next one was a Cherokee Purple I let it ripen too so it was mushy ut loved the flavor.next will be a bucks county hybrid ,just now they are all starting to get color.so I will update, so far the tomande is way too sweet for me the cherokee is great just enough tang,I already know I like the brandywine.Will update as I go.Living at high altitude it takes a bit longer to get them to ripenn as the nights are pretty cold as low as 47 degrees.Will let you know about the steak sandwich and the others.I also have some tomatoes fusing together and the rest are huge except the bloody butchers and the tomandees.I want to try them all at once when they all ripen.So Im wondering what would be a good palate cleanser between them if I want to taste them all all once.
 
Bumping this thread to the top with the Summer season. Lucky me I get to use Heirlooms all year round. Heirloom tomatoes and finishing salts. A great combination but what else do you like to make with heirlooms?

From left to right: Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Avocado, Micro Greens, and a Sourdough Crisp; White Balsamic Marinated Heirloom Tomato with Blue Crab, Meyer Lemon, and Opal Basil; Heirloom Tomato "Consomme" with Spanish Olive Oil and Micro Shiso:

 
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IC,
so great to see your picture. I would love to make each of the beautiful tomatoe recipes you've shared. They look and I know they taste like heaven..If you have some time would you please post for us.

kadesma
 
They're all fairly easy. The main key of course is the ingredients being used. Super fresh and/or very high quality. Here's the first one:

Heirloom Tomato Gazapcho

Yield: Approx. 64 oz.

Ingredients:

6 medium-large sized Brandywine Heirlooms, cored and cut into chunks
2 Japanese Cucumbers, peeled, and cut into chunks
2 cloves fresh Garlic, smashed
1 Jalapeno, seeds removed
1/2 cup loosely packed Cilantro
2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
1 tsp. Cumin
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt to taste
Cayenne or Tabasco to taste
Avocado, sliced
Micro Greens for garnish

Method:

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients up to the olive oil (you may need to do this in two batches or half the recipe unless you have a Vitamix). Puree until smooth. Pass through a chinois to get out the skins and seeds. Season to taste with kosher salt, and add cayenne or tabasco if desired and chill.

To serve, place sliced avocado on the bottom of a soup bowl or cup. Ladle the gazpacho over the avocado and top with the micro greens. The sourdough crisp might be hard to duplicate at home if you don't have a silpats and a meat slicer. You can just serve crostini if you like.
 
Here's the second. You can substitute the blue crab with dungeness or peekytoe as well.

Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes with Blue Crab

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

8-10 FIRM assorted Heirloom tomatoes (Brandywine, Big Rainbow, Jubilee, etc.)
1 cup White Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup EVOO
2 Shallots, finely minced
2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, finely minced
2 Tbsp. Fresh Tarragon, finely minced
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

8 oz. Blue Crab
2 Tbsp. Meyer Lemon
4 Tbsp. EVOO
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
Micro Opal Basil for garnish

Method:

Prepare a pot of boiling water and a bowl of ice water. Make an X on the bottom of each tomato and submerge in the boiling water for about 45 seconds-1 minute. Remove and immediately transfer to the ice water bath. When cool (should only take a minute, don't leave the tomatoes in there that long), remove from the ice water and peel the skins.

Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade except for the salt and pepper. Whisk to emulsify and season to taste. Cut the tomatoes into 4-8 wedges depending on the size, and marinate for 2-3 hours. Remove from marinade and taste. Add more kosher salt or finishing salt just before plating if needed.

Combine the Meyer Lemon juice and EVOO and whisk. Add just enough to the crab meat to coat it but do not saturate. Season with kosher salt and toss. Taste and add more salt/dressing if needed. Serve atop the marinated tomatoes and garnish with micro opal basil.
 
Part three is probably not going to be duplicated at home unless you have a lot of overripe heirlooms. The only reason why I made this out of heirloom was because they were too soft to serve on their own.

Heirloom Tomato "Consomme" (basically, tomato water)

Yield: Approx. 1 Quart

Ingredients:

6 lbs. Heirloom Tomato, cored and cut into chunks
1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt

Kosher salt to taste
HIGH quality EVOO
Micro Shiso

Method:

Using a stand or immersion blender, puree the tomatoes with the 1 Tbsp. salt until smooth (the salt will help extract the liquid). Transfer the puree to a chinios or collander lined with 3 layers of cheesecloth, with the chinois/collander over a deep bain marie or container large enough to fit it. There should be enough clearance that the bottom of the chinios will not touch the liquid that will drip out. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until the liquid is extracted. DO NOT PUSH OR FORCE the liquid out or else the tomato water will become cloudy. When the all of the liquid has been extracted, discard the solids and strain if needed.

To serve, place about 1 oz. of tomato water in a shot glass. Float a little EVOO on top of the liquid (you only need about 4-5 drops), and garnish with 2-3 leaves of micro shiso (you can use micro basil if you can find the micro shiso).
 
We had a lot of tomatoes to burn still, so another batch went into the blender for gazpacho and more went into some fresh marinade. I don't like doing exactly the same thing twice though so it got changed up a bit. This time I used a Hawaiian Red Salt called Alaea on the tomatoes:





I also paired the crab with the gazpacho and incorporated some candied baby beets with the salad. The beets were candied with Elderflower instead of simple syrup to give it a really distinct taste. The bread crisp with the salad is rye. Bon appetit!




 
Thank you IC,
I can't of course duplicate the crisps and doing the consomme will have to wait til I can get my hands on some soft heirlooms, which I can do later from a neighbor who grows many and sells them,but also has a garden full of different heirlooms to pick from...I'll make some parmesan crisps and see if that works for something to serve with the soup. Thanks again. I love seeing your pictures.

kadesma
 
ironchef said:
Here's the second. You can substitute the blue crab with dungeness or peekytoe as well.

Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes with Blue Crab

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

8-10 FIRM assorted Heirloom tomatoes (Brandywine, Big Rainbow, Jubilee, etc.)
1 cup White Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup EVOO
2 Shallots, finely minced
2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, finely minced
2 Tbsp. Fresh Tarragon, finely minced
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

8 oz. Blue Crab
2 Tbsp. Meyer Lemon
4 Tbsp. EVOO
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
Micro Opal Basil for garnish

Method:

Prepare a pot of boiling water and a bowl of ice water. Make an X on the bottom of each tomato and submerge in the boiling water for about 45 seconds-1 minute. Remove and immediately transfer to the ice water bath. When cool (should only take a minute, don't leave the tomatoes in there that long), remove from the ice water and peel the skins.

Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade except for the salt and pepper. Whisk to emulsify and season to taste. Cut the tomatoes into 4-8 wedges depending on the size, and marinate for 2-3 hours. Remove from marinade and taste. Add more kosher salt or finishing salt just before plating if needed.

Combine the Meyer Lemon juice and EVOO and whisk. Add just enough to the crab meat to coat it but do not saturate. Season with kosher salt and toss. Taste and add more salt/dressing if needed. Serve atop the marinated tomatoes and garnish with micro opal basil.
Thanks, IC! This will definitely be served at Chez Julia this summer! :chef:
 
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