Heirloom Tomato Salad with Roquefort Dressing

Celebrating simple and flavourful ingredients is what summer is all about. Red, purple, yellow or green, our abundant sweet and succulent local tomatoes and popular Heirloom varieties are among the most sought after throughout southern Ontario. There are over a hundred kinds of Heirloom tomatoes growing on vines these days, with names as unique as their looks: Sun Golds, German Stripe, Green Zebras and Black Krims. So named because the seeds have been handed down over generations, Heirloom tomatoes can be classified into four categories: family heirlooms, commercial heirlooms, mystery heirlooms, and created heirlooms. Whichever variety catches your eye, celebrate summer with this sensational fresh-off-the-vine Heirloom and Mixed Tomato Salad recipe in honour of the year's juiciest season. Topped with a rich creamy Roquefort Blue Cheese Dressing and garnished with extra tangy crumbled blue cheese, this recipe is the epitome of summer dining.



Suzanne's Heirloom Tomatoes with Blue Cheese Dressing
Serves 6-8
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

3 lb heirloom tomatoes, mixed colours and sizes 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1/2 pound Roquefort cheese, divided 
1 cup good mayonnaise 
1/3 cup heavy cream 
2 tsp tarragon wine vinegar 
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, optional


Core the tomatoes and cut the larger ones into thick slices; halve or quarter the small ones. Arrange artfully on a platter and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. For the dressing, place half the Roquefort cheese, the mayonnaise, heavy cream, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until combined but still chunky. Drizzle the dressing over the tomatoes and crumble the remaining blue cheese overtop. Sprinkle with parsley if using, and serve at room temperature.