When I was a kid, my mom made a salad that was incredibly simple: it was nothing but sliced tomatoes, salt, black pepper, white vinegar, and white sugar.It almost sounds too simple, right?
The fanciest ingredient was the farm-fresh or home-grown tomatoes. Because of course this was only made in summer when tomatoes were in season.
But fresh summer tomatoes don't need a whole lot to make them wonderful. With that salad, every single ingredient served to enhance the tomato flavor.
I usually make this salad at least once over the summer, sometimes making it more sweet, and other times edging towards the puckery-tart. But this time, I decided to change things up a bit. Instead of using sugar, I decided to use honey. And not just any honey - I used clover honey creme from Honey Ridge Farms.
I got the honey through 37 Cooks (and by the way, this recipe will also be published on the 37 Cooks blog), and I really wanted to find a way to use the honey in its purest form not cooked into something. Short of eating it with a spoon (which I might or might not have done - it's really good!) I was stumped.
Well, I could have drizzled it on ice cream or English muffins. Despite those being delicious ideas, they wouldn't have been a very good recipe. But when I brought tomatoes home from the farmer's market, I had the idea of using the honey with the tomatoes.
Well, then. Salad.
Tomato Salad with Thyme and Honey
1/2 large red tomato (beefsteak, if you can find them)1/2 large green or yellow tomato
Pinch of salt
Several grinds of black pepper
Leaves stripped from 1 spring fresh thyme
Honey creme
, as neededRed wine vinegar, as needed
Remove the core from the tomato and slice into thin wedges. Arrange the slices on a plate - I alternated the red and green, but you could put all red on one side of a the plate and all green on the other.
And of course you could use just one large tomato. Or use several tomatoes to make a whole platter for a party.
Sprinkle on salt and grind on the pepper, then strew the thyme leaves on top. Drizzle on the honey cream in thin strands. I used a fork to portion the honey.Drizzle on just a little bit of vinegar. I know you've seen this on TV, where you put your thumb over most of the opening of the bottle and just shake on a small amount here and there.
Serve.
You can refrigerate the leftovers, but the tomatoes tend to get a little soft. They still taste good, but the presentation isn't as nice.
I also received a bottle of Honey Balsamic Vinegar from Honey Ridge Farms which was outstanding. Check out my recipe for honey balsamic glazed onions that I used on Italian sausage sandwiches.
