We spent the last week in what I call the vacation trifecta: among beaches, wineries and farm stands. The vacation was supposed to be a reward for getting my book finished by August 1st. Instead, I all but tried to cancel the vacation when I realized I wouldn’t be done. Despite all of my practice over the last few months, I’m not very good at not finishing things. I don’t like going to bed with dishes in the sink, I’d rather stay up until midnight getting something done than have to start the morning with an old item on my to-do list and I did not want to go on vacation until I finished my project. Oh no. I did not. I might have even dreaded it.
Thank goodness we went anyway as we had fantastic vacation, I dare say the best one we’ve had since adding another member to our family. As it turns out, when the baby sleeps (in a bed! in a strange place! like a champ! who is this child and what did he do with Jacob?) on vacation, everyone gets one and it also turns out, when you’re really on vacation, any and all promises you made to yourself to get some work done go out the window. Thank heavens for that too. Other signs of a good vacation: I didn’t take many photos. I ignored the stack of recipes I’d bookmarked for Ideal Summer House Cooking (yawn). We went to a different winery every afternoon. I fell asleep with saltwater in my hair on at least three different occasions. I discovered that when my son sings the alphabet, for the P, and the P only, he closes his eyes, reaches his arms wide, tips his head back and belts out a giant “PEEEEAA!” I splurged on local feta and started making crunchy summery salads every night tossed with it and whatever could be diced raw. We had countless ears of corn and at least one lunch of tomato-corn omelets (have you done this yet? Because I’m obsessed with them). There was a birthday breakfast for my husband of skillet baked French toast. There was an accidental recipe of what I’m now calling sugar steaks, and making intentionally. Two batches of dry-rub ribs (a twist on Molly’s rub, McGee’s technique) in the oven, because it’s so, so easy that way. And my future fall obsession came to me early at our daily jaunts to the North Fork Table & Inn Food Truck: chicken posole. It was amazing; I promise to try to recreate it soon.
Finally, there were the s’mores. In my defense, I walked by this bag three times at the local grocery store on three different days before my resistance waned. I tried to have a proper, prim response to it — “How obscene!” “Why must we super-size everything?” “Well, that would just make a mess.” etc. It didn’t work, we bought them anyway and toasted them over the grill. I’m not sorry.
There’s an organic farm on the North Fork named Sang Lee that’s famous among the locals. Though hardly economical, the produce is amazing, but the thing I always haul back by the pound are their tiny rainbow tomatoes. As the type of person who color-sorts her cookbooks, I find the rows of baskets, each filled with a different shade of tomato immensely satisfying to gaze upon, and arrange in bags like bouquets. Perfect summer tomatoes need little to make them amazing, but I don’t think anyone has ever placed tomatoes near bread (pan con tomate, anyone? scalloped tomatoes?) and regretted what happened in the middle. Few salads are more dreamy than Tuscan panzanella, where toasted seasoned fresh croutons soak up the tomato’s deliciousness, but I’ve always wanted to merge them together like this, where instead of large chunks of croutons, you have a dusting of immensely seasoned breadcrumb-like crouton rubble coating each cut side of tomato. I insist that you only sprinkle your crouton fairy dust over the tomatoes close to serving time — a soggy lid is not the goal here — and enjoy the garlicky crunch with each sweet summery bite.
One year ago: Zucchini and Almond Pasta Salad, Raspberry Limeade Slushies and Sweet Corn Pancakes
Two years ago: Lighter Airy Pound Cake, Summer Pea and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad, Lobster Rolls and Espresso Chiffon Cake with Fudge Frosting
Three years ago: Key Lime Meltaways, How to Poach and Egg, Smitten Kitchen-Style and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Four years ago: Mixed Bean Salad and Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
[New! Here we go!] Five years ago: Barbecue Sauce for the Barbecue Agnostic
Tomato Salad with Crushed Croutons
The recipe below is fairly basic, but in the realm of tomatoes and bread, there are innumerable ways to tweak it. For example, I’m having a love affair with crumbly salty cheeses this summer in the feta family; tossing the tomatoes with some fine feta rubble before dressing and crouton-ing them would be amazing. Mint might be a fun change from basil, and if you’re into neither, try flat-leaf parsley for a fresh but mild flavor. I am nearly constitutionally incapable of making a dish that involves tomatoes and not adding small white beans. I resisted today, but would not next time here. Minced olives would be at home sprinkled over the tomatoes, too. And if you’re not so into red wine vinegar, an aged sweet balsamic dotted over the tomatoes would be… I bet I don’t even need to tell you how awesome. Would love to hear how you tweak this, so let me know in the comments.
Crushed croutons
4 slices hearty white bread
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Tomato salad
1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, mixed colors if you can find them
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon mellow red wine vinegar (yours isn’t mellow? use less)
1/8 teaspoon table salt
Pinch of sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
Handful basil leaves, slivered.
Prepare the crushed croutons: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into chunks and pule them in a food processor until coarsely ground (largest chunks can be lima bean sized). No food processor? Keep tearing the bread up until it is in ragged, mixed sized crumbs. Spread crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and parmesan until croutons are evenly coated with oil. Bake until golden brown and dry, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly. (Warm is fine, hot might wilt your tomatoes, boo.)
Assemble salad: Halve each tomato lengthwise and arrange cut side up on a platter. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt, sugar and a few grinds of pepper in a small dish. Drizzle over tomatoes. Sprinkle tomatoes with crushed croutons. Garnish with slivers of basil.
nomnomnomnom all your recipes kill me they are so good :)
Looks like you had a fab vacation, mind you – anywhere looks great when you’re stuck in the rainy UK!
Can’t wait to try this – might even make up for the lack of sunshine this year….
Exactly what I want to eat this time of year.
OMG, I’m in love. Great idea for tomatoes.
This looks fantastic. I do wonder however what you call a “mellow red wine vinegar”.
Those tomatoes are so beautiful! The marshmallows though are too tempting to resist!
This makes me so sad. While I love taunting East Coast friends with ripe tomatoes out of my garden in late March, karma soon comes back around to bite me. In the scorching heat of a Phoenix summer, tomato season ends early here. Which means while the rest of the country is inundated with summer fruit, I am sadly bookmarking things for next year. But this will most definitely happen next year.
deb! i don’t know if i’ve ever commented, but i’m going to do so now because i finally got my copy of everyday food and was so proud to see you in its pages. i know, i hardly know you, but you see, you were the first cooking blog to catch my fancy 5 years ago and now i can’t even keep up with the all the subscribed-to blogs on my google reader. so thanks for being the gateway drug, congrats on the new book coming out soon (can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on a copy), and merci for being awesome. you deserved a guilt-free vacation!!!
I’m right there with you on the obsession with finishing things. Sadly, our kitchen sink is just a few feet behind our family room couch. So if I sit down to read or watch TV at night without cleaning the kitchen, the greasy pans call out mockingly to me. (My husband says he can’t hear them.)
Oh Em Gee, this sounds like it was made for me. Tomatoes! Bread! My darlings! What a spectacular idea. Lunch tomorrow!
And I’m in the same boat as you – my manuscript *was* due August 1, now it’s September 1 and we’re leaving on our honeymoon four days later. I’d. Better. Not. Be. Late.
Luisa — I think you had a better excuse than I did. :)
Argh, tomatoes! I’m going to miss tomatoes! We’re moving to the southwest during tomato season… I think I will never meet a good tomato again… …
Must try this salad – love the idea of crushed croutons. I wonder if it’d be good with olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction? A little sweet-and-sour punch. I had some cherry tomatoes yesterday that really drove home the “tomato = fruit” thing. They’re unbelievably sweet right now. Yum. Yumyumyum.
i love all the beautiful colors of the tomatoes!! i think it’s great that you decided to go on vaca anyway and enjoyed the moment with your family =)
Looks so good and I going to make with tomatoes from Sang Lee!! I love their amazing produce. Thanks!
We, too, caved in and bought the gigantic marshmallows. They were superb, but I have to confess that the ratio of charred marshmallow to gooey marshmallow is better with the smaller ones.
Beautiful colorful images. Looks like a wonderful vacation, especially with little one sleeping well. That can make it or break it!
So looking forward to the book especially if it’s full of recipes like this!
Those look like really awesome tomatoes. Almost seems like a fresh and ripe version of a fried green tomato.
beautiful tomatoes and totally love the crunchy topping. My tomatoes are ripening faster that we can eat them and I love them most raw.
Don’t feel bad – the only reason I didn’t buy them was that I thought they’d be to bulky to do right on my s’more brownies.
I still may go back and get them… biting into a slightly-burnt gooey ball of sugary fluff that size is too much temptation for me to resist. :)
I have a bowl of rainbow colored cherry tomatoes calling out for this recipe, and a loaf of homemade bread, and a basil plant on the front porch bursting – dinner is DONE!
I share your inability to just leave things be. This means I generally have about 5 1/2 hours sleep on average. Im writing this in my kitchen in the middle of making a dish, hanging out the washing and trying to write my own blog entry. Why do we put so much on ourselves?
Incidently I couldnt have resisted those tomoatoes either. Looks wonderful.
making this. ASAP. with white beans, too? oh yes.
Um…YUM! I wish I were eating this now instead of the lunch I brought
Looks absolutely lovely, and perfectly summer-obsessed.
“I discovered that when my son sings the alphabet, for the P, and the P only, he closes his eyes, reaches his arms wide, tips his head back and belts out a giant ‘PEEEEAA!’”
I love that visual. It made me smile
ps – CONGRATULATIONS on 5 years ago! Happy birthday :)
Crushed croutons are a silver bullet. All is better for them. And those tomatoes! Amazing.
What a great idea for a summer tomato dish!
I’ve been wanting to try the Stacker marshmallows myself (the ones sized for s’mores). No shame in getting the giant ones, though. :)
Can we get a video of Jacob singing the Alphabet Song? And that salad sounds wonderful, I just finished a caprese sandwich for lunch and more of the same is welcomed.
Daneielle — Unfortunately, every time I take out my phone, it causes chaos/tantrums/tears, which limits my ability to produce video. “MELMO! MELMO!” Jacob thinks Elmo lives in our phones, ever since we made the mistake of playing him Elmo videos from YouTube to get him to him to stay still so we could clip his nails. It’s taken him 2 years to learn his name but about 2 minutes to learn the name “Elmo” now and forever.
I love all the different colors of tomato you used, it make the dish so beautiful! This looks delicious
Love it. Now, if the squirrels would stay out of my garden, I might have some tomatoes to make this with.
What a great post! Tomatoes are my FAVORITE thing EVA! And these pictures … my mouth is WATERING! Glad you had a fun vacay! Now back to reality and Fall (my favorite season of the year!).
Beautiful things happen when we let go; good for you. Gorgeous photos – particularly like the bedroom lighting. What a lovely, locally sourced tomato salad – incredible diversity of colour!
Hi, Deb! I am fairly new to your blog! But I’m already in love with it! I’m just a beginner, but you have so many wonderful ideas that I can’t wait to get home from work and try some of your recipes out!!!!! Yumm yumm! <3
google says that the traditional gift for a 5th anniversary is wood – which seems fitting since you linked back to a barbecue sauce recipe. get it? wood chips! that’s what i would get you! happy 5th anniversary!
Get that book done! I want to read it! (I’m hardly demanding.)
I would totally put some of that local feta on the salad. If I didn’t eat it all while waiting for the bread to bake. :)
this looks amazing! I can’t wait for your cookbook! I don’t buy many these days (what with the internets and google being so helpful in the cooking department) but for you, I’ll be shelling out the $$s for the book
I’ve been reading your blog for a while but have never commented – this post was a must-comment for me! The North Fork of LI is one of my most favorite places in the world – I grew up in Maine but every summer visited my mom’s family’s house in Cutchogue. Sang Lee is a daily stop for our house in the summer, I have a picture of their tomatoes hanging in my kitchen in Boston. Any chance you went to the McCall vinyard? My step-father is the owner and my mom works the tasting room with him daily! Also I LOVE your photographs, they inspire me to be a better photographer, so thanks for that!
i’ve never seen heirloom baby tomatoes before!! what a beauty!
Looks fantastic. It looks like it’d also be delicious thrown in with some pasta for a great and filling dinner. Can’t wait to try it out with what you call my own “tweaks”.
Also! Woohoo for the new “5 years ago” links! It’s so impressive how you’ve had such a great site for so long!
So glad you had a great trip! You deserve it! Love the photos, too. Wish summer was starting over again (yes, even with the heat) just so I could go on vacation again. Too bad I’m going back to school in two days!
Looks awesome! You were up in my stomping grounds, the very place where my CSA is from and where we make sure we get nice and hammered at our fave vineyard, Osprey’s Dominion. Did you try Catapano’s lavender and honey goat cheese, by any chance? Oh. Dear. Lord. Next time you go, you must. Incredible. And awesome lavender honey, which is VERY hard to find.
Enjoyed the recipe too, BTW!
That looks unbelievable! My friend and I tend to a (new) blog about the north fork and I have been going out to Southold since i was literally 0. It is my favorite place on earth and I am glad you really enjoyed it! I recently did a post about food on the North Fork (http://girlsintheirsummerclothes2011.blogspot.com/2011/08/north-fork-favorites-food-edition.html) and I am sad that I couldn’t mention all the amazing places on the north fork (eg. the food truck) but if you are ever back out again check out some of the places. Especially Krupski’s in the fall, I have so many memories of going there as a kid to pick up our yearly pumpkin, simply priceless.
This is so perfect for summer …. Just wanted to let you know that I had the same reached to the obscene appearing jumbo marshmallows, and I must also admit I haven’t had the gumption to throw them in my grocery cart yet. I am hoping before summer’s end, I will. Thanks for another recipe to add to my repertoire.
We don’t have supersized marshmallows where I live! Major bummer.
Looks like a wonderful vacation, and Jacob is as darling as ever! Almost 2. :) My baby turned 2 in July. I’m LOVING 2.
(For me “North Fork” = work because I work for the bank that bought North Fork Bank. It never occurred to me that it could also be a lovely vacation destination!)
Love the idea of crushed croutons on top… lots of texture!
Love the description of Jacob saying the alphabet–so cute! One of my sons says “Elmo Elmo Pee” instead of “LMNOP” while singing the alphabet. Gotta remember these silly toddler times!
This is faaabulous! And I absolutely LOVED your feature in Everyday Food!
Nicely done, lady! XO.
I love tomatoes. And salads. And eat at least one of each, every day. This is right up my alley.
I love the shot of that pink tapestry, too. So cool. So vibrant. I dig it!! :)
Gorgeous! Love the combination of textures!
So glad you had a great week! I know I complained about Sang Lee Prices, but who can resist those tomatoes..not me ; even though I have a son who can eat 20 bucks worth of those multi- colored mini globes in 10 minutes! We have actually done a blind taste testing to see which color is sweetest! Our supper tonight was North Fork BLTs ..it doesn’t get easier.
Yay, you got some sleep..its the air!..So NOW finish up that inevitably wonderful, inevitably successful book , and then come back and get your own little place. Its hard to imagine that you won’t end up here!
I can’t believe this summer is racing by and I still haven’t had s’mores. That needs to change. Sounds like a fabulous vacation.
This salad looks amazing, too.
wait, i’m still stuck on this accidental “sugar steak” thing. the picture was lovely, but i really want to know more! do share?
Deb, this looks fantastic.
As a photographer, I have to ask: which wide angle lens did you rent? I was away for 10 days and rented one too, so I was curious. =) (I went for the Tokina 11-16mm.)
Killian — I rented the 16-35 2.8 from Canon. I wasn’t that into it; I struggle with zoom lenses. This week I have the 35mm 1.4, which I took the tomato salad pictures with today.
jillie — It involves a mix of dark brown sugar, coarse salt, black pepper and some red pepper flakes. I never really got a recipe down, just rubbed it on about 15 minutes before grilling the steaks. I’m really not a steak person but loved these; they got nicely caramelized.
Gretchen — That is the BEST. Especially given the Elmo issue I brought up in comment #40.
I think that’s my favorite picture–the sliced tomatoes–and now I’m hungry for tomato salad AND old-fashioned Christmas candy.
Oh tomatoes, how I will miss thee in the winter !
At least I’ll have these lovely photos to keep me going :)
Your tomato salad looks delicious. I love cooking in summer because a recipe doesn’t have to be complicated, the produce does all the work. I shall not judge you on the marshmallows. I would have done the same thing. :)
Looks delicious! Great pictures!
That photo where the tomatoes are all cut in half is just beautiful! Such a simple and perfect recipe, thank you :)
I would miss summer for these gorgeous tomatoes, nothing else. But can’t wait to dig into s’mores in winter. That looks heavenly.
Oh that salad is soooo wonderful to think about. So glad you took time for yourself and your family and enjoyed a “real” vacation. So glad you shared this salad recipe too.
What a fun vaca you had! I so want to eat fresh garden tomatoes with croutons. My garden is so slow. I sometimes make my croutons in a skillet, do you?
Love the North Fork! My parents live in Cutchogue and we’re down from Boston all the time. Nothing better than Harbes corn! Mmm! Love all the farmstands and pumpkin time at Krupskis.
Basil–SLIVERED? Can I get a chiffonade!?
I made oven-scorched tomatoes (from Mollie Katzen’s “The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without”) for the first time yesterday, and almost wept with joy upon the first bite. Croutons on top of that would be divine. I strongly suggest you try it ASAP!
Oh, how I was hoping you were off on holiday and not agonizing over the book! Good for you!
OMG!!!! I have the best cherry tomatoes right now. We grew them from seeds and they are called Jelly Beans. They are so intensely tomatoey and sweet. I can’t wait to try this recipe out with my lovely cherry tomatoes.
This is all so, so beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Love how this is so summerish. We got tropical all year round here so love these recipes :)
Looks absolutely wonderful. But please tell me there is a recipe for the skillet french toast forthcoming! ;)
I know all about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of a big project. Writing a cookbook is certainly a big project. Some days I didn’t get out of my pjs because I had to test recipe after recipe when I was writing my cookbook. Good luck in finishing your cookbook!
Sooo if one were to add white beans to this yummy dish, how exactly would they go about it? Simply toss them in drained and rinsed? Feel free to laugh at the dummy cook.
that looks so refreshing!
Toasted marshmallows is all I’ve been enjoying this summer :) This recipe makes me wanna cook right now…
Oh, my goodness! Just went on my first North Fork adventure a few weeks ago and fell in love. Catapano Dairy Farm swept me off my feet with their goat’s milk fudge. Yum :)
This post is amazing, thank you for sharing what sounds like a very rewarding vacation. The kind of vacation that makes you appreciate all the details and gives you thousands of little memories to bring home and savor.
And that recipe sounds amazing.
I want to catch your ‘problem’ of finishing your to do list before you go to bed. I have things on mine that have been there for years. I kid you not. I’m embarrassed, what can I say? Tomatoes and crunchy croutons sounds like heaven. Plus my son is currently obsessed with crunchy food so win:win! xx
Deb, those tomatoes are absolutely beautiful – the two photos of them cut, firstly on the baking tray and then the white plate are gorgeous – they look like so jewel like and seems as though they taste pretty good too. Sounds like you and your family had an idyllic week……
Oh, how perfect. A glass of pink wine, a piece of grilled meat and a big plate of that. And sand between my toes. Reading this, I feel like I’m on holiday. Even if ‘summer’ in London is a joke.
Vacations help not to finish things. Vacations help to fall asleep. Vacations help, and that’s it.
Yum! Tomatoes and bread are the best combination and seeing as I happen to have some rainbow tomatoes of my own, I think I’m going to be making this one day this week. I’m looking forward to it already!
I really like this idea. Tomato salads are so fresh and great for summer. This is a nice change to the traditional salad :)
I always love adding scallions or chives to fresh tomato caprese style dishes. the little bursts of flavor are surprising and a nice addition.
Catapano is great! My dad and I started going when they were just a few goats in a yard in Mattituck. I’m so glad they’re doing well.
What a perfect, light August meal! It was fabulous & I’m so glad I saw this on you Twitter feed yesterday. The b.f. and I were both fans and it’s going in my summer recipe binder! Thanks!
oh! Please tell me whats hanging on the line in the second picture? Is it crochet? Blankets, towels,floor covering, yours, theirs?
Thanks for sharing!
Lisaj — They’re beach towels. At one point they’d been available in three colors, but now only one is left. It’s so hard to find non-junky, pretty beach towels that are relatively affordable, right?
Ellen — Yup, drained and rinsed.
Rancho Gordo junkies — Did you guys see that they now have a new small white bean? Some women have compulsions about shoes, I have a bean affliction.
Yep. I just figured out what I’m making to go with grilled pork tenderloin tonight. Thank you Deb , as always.
Please try to sneak a video of the Alphabet song — do you have friends with a video camera not in the phone?
This salad looks like a perfect way to enjoy summer tomatoes and your photos – beautiful as always. I might just have to take a jaunt out to see that North Fork Table & Inn Food Truck! Thanks for all the delicious recipes!
Oh thanks for such a summery post! Everyone around the interwebs is rushing away summer in favor of sweater weather, but as you captured in your photos, summer on the East End of LI is gorgeous, and must not be rushed for any reason. Lovely!
Yes! Feta and balsamic! Why do people waste their time with mozzerella on tomatoes when feta exists? Home grown tomatoes (halved cherry or diced larger ), fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic, feta and croutons for crunch!. Sweet, Salty, Savory, Tart, oiliy and crunchy all in one bite. AWESOME!!! This is on our table EVERY night as long as the tomato plants cooperate!
gah! just saw you in martha stewart’s food! how awesome!!!
So that’s just a few photos, huh? ;-) The one of the multi-colored tomatoes on the cutting board could be framed. Gorgeous!
I can vouch for the tastiness of those tomatoes since my CSA veggies come from Sang Lee. They have great produce! I might have to give this a try with the tomatoes I’m picking up tonight.
Those tomatoes look almost like candy! I love the combination here with the bread crumbs, I think I’ll try this and maybe add a little manchego to the mix.
Pea pesto = ingenious. Looks like you include some pretty crunchy veggies in your omelet — how does that play with the soft egg? It’s just mean to say the words “skillet” and “french toast” as part of the same phrase and not elaborate further. And finally — “I’m not sorry.” Best quote ever. More reasons why I’m Smitten obsessed…
Made this quickly after work for an iftar- sooo good. I only had wheat bread, which worked just fine. I served it with halved kalamatas, balsamic vinegar in place of red wine, with goat cheese and mint crumbled on top. Thanks!
Summer time means tomato time! Thanks for an inspiring recipe, I also love your photos, the tomatoes look like art!
Love the simplicity and freshness of this salad! Cheers!
Um, hello, so when should we all be expecting this book-don’t tell me it’s going to be after Spring 2011. First my beloved Borders goes out of business and now this…
Elisa — Definitely a fall 2012 thing now. Sorry! I work slowly, it turns out. And the blog is just now kinda hitting 5 years. I always say I started it in September 2006 (that’s when I started sharing it) but there are a few posts from August of that year too.
Arv — I saute the corn for a few minutes first in butter, I add the tomatoes and cook them for another minute. Take them out of the skillet, wipe it out and make the omelet with that as a filling. I often cook the scallions right into the omelet. We love it! Sometimes with white cheddar too…
BTW-can’t wait to begin my quest of finding those beautiful tomatoes at some farm somewhere!! I love your blog-didn’t you just have an anniversary?
This recipe looks great and your vacation looks like it was wonderful. I was just searching for a good salad to use with all my fresh tomatoes!
My husband is obsessed with croutons. So much so that if he “misbehaves” in any way, we have a joke about him not getting any… croutons, that is. :) I’m sure he would love this!
My son (now 16 years old) sang “little little me” at the L,M,N,O,P section of the alphabet song – my husband had him sitting on his lap in front of the computer and captured this sweet moment – now we have it as a desktop icon and click on it every now and again to hear that sweet baby voice – and really irratate our 6 foot baby boy.
This recipe looks great. Reminds me of Canal House recipes, which I mean to be a huge compliment (as I’m sure you are aware).
YUM. We had a version of crushed croutons at City House in Nashville in a fresh pea salad. DEVINE.
This is the first year in several I have NOT made it to the north fork and this post is making me SO jealous… i will now dream about sang lee, sep’s corn and my 3 year old’s daily rides on the greenport carousel! can’t wait to try this recipe
Looks like you had a wonderful vacation! And there is nothing like homemade croutons. yum!
I made this tonight with some of my garden tomatoes. It was as good as it looks in your photos. The crumbs are terrific, I’ll use them on lots of things; salads, mac & cheese, soups. ummm, ummm
Fantastic idea for baby heirlooms! I’ll have to try it.
One of my favorite ways to prepare them is to quarter them, lightly season with sea salt and pepper, take inch-thick slices of plain or herbed chevre and insert them arbitrarily whilst making sure the slice is intact. Sometimes I have to reform them a bit like putty, which is admittedly part of the fun. Then I bread the slices with seasoned Italian bread crumbs (but now your recipe has inspired me to experiment with croutons) and lightly fry in olive oil with perhaps a pat of butter. I serve it with an organic herb salad and balsamic vinaigrette and it is always spot-on.
And while I risk blathering on like an idiot, I’m ecstatic that I’ve come across a blog like yours, with its clean aesthetic, genuine writing, and great recipes. Bravo! I’m a new loyal reader.
Looks like you had a lovely holiday and I can’t wait to try out this recipe looks delicious!
That sounds like the best vacation! And you earned it, don’t you think? I just came across your blog some days ago, but I could sit here for hours reading and looking at your pictures. Great!
Thinking about one ingredient – mellow red wine vinegar. My instinct tells me that using 1 teaspoon of balsamic and 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar may achieve the mellow quality being sought. I would mix the two vinegars with the olive oil before adding to salad for consistency. White balsamic would make it even mellower. Thanks for all your lovely and REAL recipes.
We made this last night, sort of. We didn’t have proper bread for croutons and only had pecorino sardo cheese and only red cherry tomatoes.
But, man. It was pretty amazing. In the words of my husband, “I heartily endorse this service or product.” Which is what he says when he unequivocally likes something.
Looks lovely! and healthy too :D x
Sounds heavenly! Those tomatoes…I want to reach through the screen and snatch them up! I love the idea of white beans, but I think the texture would distract. I think I would whip the beans into a simple puree first. Use the red wine vinegar in the puree, and swap in balsamic in the dressing. The crunch from those beautiful croutons I can tell was just lovely. Glad you had a fun vacation! I am all kinds of jealous. :)
The tomatoes are absolutely beautiful! Tomato salad has become one of my favorite light dishes this summer, but mine haven’t been nearly so colorful. I’ll now have to be on the lookout for mixed colors and will definitely be making my own croutons in the near future. Yum!
This was dinner tonight. I added chopped red and yellow bell peppers to the bread. Yummy, yummy!! Thank you.
Nothing has ever quite captioned OMG like this post/recipe. The one and ONLY thing that could improve it for my humble self, would be if you would send me a sample of your own creation.
ps i was THRILLED to see you in martha stewart’s everday food. I opened it and was like, “I know her! I KNOW HER!!!” six degrees of virtual separation?
I love tomato bread salad in the summer! I usually tear up a day old loaf and toast the croutons in the oven, then toss slivered garlic with the warm bread as it cools. I add some small diced persian or japanese cucumbers (small and super crunchy) and a little slivered red onion when the bread is cool, and homegrown or heirloom tomatoes, of whatever size and whatever variety. I prefer a sprinkling of balsamic and a good dose of a good olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper with the slivered basil, even if the balsamic makes it look a little muddy. There is never any of this leftover!
did you know that the Ghiradelli chocolate squares are just the perfect size for making square s’mores? milk chocolate and caramel—-heaven in a square when combined with a toasty marshmallow!
Your pictures just keep getting better and better. Keep it up :) Love this blog.
Those tomatoes look wonderful. And the recipe looks delicious…can’t wait to give it a try!
i think my favorite photo is those gorgeous chopped tomatoes! congrats on the vacation it sounds fabulous.
Love it! We spent last Friday on the North Fork as well – that food truck truly is amazing – our group sampled all of the menu offerings. And I love that you have your little guy with you for the wine tastings – ours, who is a few weeks younger than yours – took a snooze in the car at Sparkling Pointe :)
Made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but with peak-of-summer, farm-fresh tomatoes it was heavenly. I loved the crouton mix in particular!
Whoa, this looks great!! As much as I have been eating at food trucks here in LA so I can review them, I miss the simple thrown together home-made summer meal! These look scrumptious, and I would eat them as a main course for sure. I’m jealous of your vacation, but you also recap it so beautifully, it’s impossible to begrudge :) I’m glad you went!
Hello! I made this yesterday. Oh la la, as we say in France. With “fleur de sel” and nice olive oil as dressing, and tomatoes from my grandma’s garden. Bliss. Merci for your website and for posting these charming pics of your son. Mine is just a little bit younger, so it is quite funny to see him slowly evolving like Jacob!
Amazed by the vibrant colours of the tomatoes. Natures beauty.
You’re making me desperate for a taste of summer over here in the Southern Hemisphere! Yum.
Sugar steaks!!!! LOL. I once had an apprentice who made sugar steaks for a 400 person banquet. Epic fail!
Had this tomato salad with corn on the cob for dinner last night. It was like eating summer on a plate! Didn’t have shallots, but added some fresh thyme and oregano from my garden. Also added some chopped heirloom tomatoes. It was just terrific.
How beautiful are those tomatoes!
This was the first SK recipe I tried….cannot wait to try more. Made the house smell wonderful, and my husband really thought it was a winner too. Only change I’d make is to increase the croutons by 50%. The ratio of tomato to crouton on your fork matters! (cheese is brilliant addition BTW)
Oh so delish. Had for two nights now. First your spectacular version, raves from guests for that. I had made too much and had some leftover tomato crouton mix, and just refrigerated it. Tonight made a new batch of croutons – this time added just the tiniest bit of balsamic to the mix – mixed the tomato (what was now panzanella) with a little fresh made ricotta and tossed the crunchy croutons in.
Now I am off for a long bike ride!
Glad you enjoyed the North Fork again, I am from there and living in Europe now so it was great to see what I am missing (I think I mean that).
these tomatoes look absolutely beautiful with delicious crunchy texture from the croutons–Yum!!
can i be cheesy and say i have a crush on your crushed tomatoes!! hehe <3
Congrats on your appearance in Everyday Food this month! Can’t wait to see your book. No pressure. :)
Isn’t the North Fork wonderful? It has everything…gorgeous scenery, water on either side of the fork, farms and great wines. Delighted to read you enjoyed your vacation here. Next time, don’t miss Wickham’s Farmstand in Cutchogue for the best peaches and Silver Queen corn…and Latham’s Farmstand in Orient for heirloom tomatoes, tiny freshly dug potatoes and luscious berries.
We can’t eat enough summer tomatoes and I can’t wait to try this twist on panzanella. I’m salivating! You’ve got me imagining a rainbow cherry tomato patch in our garden next summer. With our cool summers, we can’t grow the big guys, but the cherry-types are possible with a little coaxing.
I desperately wish I currently had access to a decent quality tomato so I could try this out.
I never used to be a big fan of tomatoes, really, but since actually preparing them properly a few times they may be the best food in the world.
Saw you in the new Everyday Food! Yay You! You’re lovely.
Used my farm-share tomatoes and basil, added some feta and chopped olives – delicious! Thanks for the recipe and inspiration!
Hi Deb. I just read my new Everyday Food magazine and there you were! The eggplant looks amazing and you look as nice as I always imagined you would! Congrats.
Made this tonight, and added cucumbers because I had a bunch in my garden, and we’re eating cucumbers for every meal! Simple, delicious, my kids ate it = a real winner! I agree with a previous poster that a drizzle of balsamic would make this perfect. Next time. . .
it just happens that my 5 year old and i made your graham crackers this past week. he came up with the brilliant suggestion of using them to make s’mores (he is so my son). in a word, stupendous!
Thank goodness you did not cancel your vacation! I love the photo of the heirloom tomatoes. It is just beautiful! Cannot wait for your book.
This recipe looks like a new and improved panzanella! Can’t wait to try it!
Your photo of the tomatoes is so colorful and beautiful! The salad sounds great for a tomato-lover like myself. Thanks!
Just came back from a trip to Trader Joe’s with a pound of mini heirloom tomatoes. Can’t wait to try this one out.
So glad you enjoyed your time off so much! It’s definitely much deserved. Great summer salad recipe :)
I grew up on a farm on the North Fork. We ate only what we grew – flora and fauna – mom made many of our clothes … I hated it but now it’s all back in style, uh? There’s a vineyard now where my dad grew potatoes. I know the goat cheese lady – Karen. It’s a great place – and one I don’t miss so much with all the summer traffic. Hope you had a chance to visit Luce’s Landing – I went to high school with Keith. Funny thing – all I want is to go back to the farm and grow crops and raise our own animals and cook and bake and woodwork … but I can’t afford it!
This is my most favorite post ever! Gorgeous pictures, fantastic recipe, great links, and wow, especially rich writing! What a fabulous image you described of your son singing “l, m, n, o, PEEEEAA!” I love it!
I am glad you had a nice vacation! Those tomatoes look so tasty!
Made this twice in three days. Delicious. Thank you.
Good for you enjoying a wonderful vacation with your growing family! Gorgeous looking recipe.
I made these tomatoes with crushed croutons this very afternoon. They have been completely devoured! The only tweak: I used balsamic vinegar. These are to die for. Thanks!
Gorgeous photos. I especially like the ones of the wineries.
I love the crunchy aspect of those croutons!
I opened up my Martha Stewart everyday food magazine yesterday – and there you were! It was very exciting. I love love your blog and we seem to share the same theory on eating. While eating meals, eat healthy or at the very least ‘fresh’ … but when eating desserts (or as we call them in our house, treats) … go all out! And when eating things in between (muffins, pancakes) try to add some nutrition to it, even if it’s still not ‘Healthy’ at least it’s ‘healthier’!
Please stop telling people about the North Fork. It might turn into the South Fork and I’ll have nowhere left to wander.
Deb – we are planning a jaunt to the North Fork in October! Cannot wait to go and North Fork Table and Inn is on our list! Do you find most of the wineries are kid-friendly? Which ones did you visit?
Kristen — I thought so. I mean, they don’t have kid activities (well, some might for specific events) but at most, you can sit outside so that kid can wander around and see the vines etc. Oh, and Jacob was so obsessed with trying the fizzy (um, no, obviously) that we ordered some sparkling water at one place and let him drink it out of a flute. He was very excited about this.
Currently eating a corn and tomato omlet! Came looking for dinner ideas and found my lunch instead. Perfect way to use some of the produce we have in abundance right now!
I love that photo of the halved tomatoes too. They’re so cute. I can’t wait for chicken posole!
I don’t have an oven, but make very similar croutons just by sauteeing the crumbs and herbs & aromatics in a futon slow and steady over medium heat. Works fine. This method works just as well for granola!
Ah, the North Fork! Is there any place more rustic, more perfectly forgotten by time? Are there peaches better than Wickham’s? Jams better than Briermere’s?
Congratulations on 5 years of the blog! I’ve gotten so many great recipes from you and I look forward to seeing your book!
I know exactly how I’m going to tweak this! (that never happens). This looks so much like a savory crumble, that I think that’s whats going to happen to it- most likely with a corn/cornmeal crumble topping. Now the only question is…to cook or not to cook the tomatoes?
I made a butternut squash crumble a bit ago that was divine- I just can’t wait.
PS Very long time reader, finally first comment. Love everything about the site. Any idea when will we be able to start pre-ordering the cookbook?
I’m eating this for the second time this week- well, sort of. The first time I made it I used cornbread, this time I’m using whole-wheat bread but replaced the red wine/olive oil with a semi-homemade roasted garlic dressing (roasted garlic blended with Trader Joe’s “light” champagne vinaigrette) and baby heirlooms.
Loved it, but, seriously, what is there not to love? We cut up on large tomato from the garden that NEEDED to be used that night, mixed it in with some cherry tomatoes, added some fresh corn right off of the cob, and used Whole Foods balsamic vinegar instead of red wine. Enjoyed it with the buttermilk/corn/chive popovers and a glass of wine, on the front porch while the sun was setting :)
I made this into more of a dinner dish by adding some goat cheese. The mixture of the creamy cheese with the crunchy croutons and juicy tomatoes was perfect and heavenly. I also squeezed in a bit of lemon juice with the oil and balsamic vinegar. I can’t wait to make this again.
Love the colors of your rainbow tomatoes. Tweeting this one out to our followers!
I made this last night, and woowee it was delicious! I added extra garlic and substituted the white bread for wholegrain, but only because it was all I had. I loved it even more today because all the dressing got soaked up into the croutons without them getting soggy. So good.
Oh pure heaven. I can’t wait to try some of your recipes!
The picture of the tomatoes on the black background is simply stunning!
This recipe was quite divine. The beauty of the tomatoes combined with the taste of pure summer was perfect. Thanks :)
Those tomatoes look beautiful!
Delicious and beautiful dish!
Could not stop eating.
Amazing that something so simple can be sooo delicious! My hubby and I devoured this and the last bit almost came to fisticuffs. :D
This made a great super quick dinner with some pasta underneath. The croutons are just ridiculous – though, we were bad and added another clove of garlic and twice as much parmesan. Ha!
What a lovely site! How is it possible that I’m so late to the party?
I grow heirlooms, and all that remains of the tomatoes after a sad bout of late blight are my cherries…lots and lots of cherries in every shade imaginable. Now I know exactly what we’re having for dinner.
Thank you for the inspiration! So glad you had a restful vacation.
This looks awesome. I want to eat it now! Instead I’ll wait and see what tomatoes our CSA has for us this week.
Thank you for another great fresh recipe! I love your site. I made it and posted on my blog with a link back to you. I paired it with some tips on how to bring it along to a picnic without getting the bread or tomatoes soggy.
http://perfectingthepairing.blogspot.com/2011/08/tomato-salad-with-crunchy-crushed.html
I’m reallllly hoping there’s some good tomatoes at the farmers market tomorrow – I’ve had this recipe tacked to my fridge for weeks.
My boyfriend emailed this one to me — the first time he has ever requested a dish via email. Tasty and joyful salad. We added duck bacon (I don’t know. It was what was at the farmer’s market and was a great addition.) The salad was fantastic with the dijon mustard steak kabobs from your site and slices of grilled peaches with mint. Divine. Thanks Deb!
Just made this for lunch, and am currently eating it. Simple, quick, and delicious. I love how my croutons are soaking up the vinegar and olive oil, it compliments my garden cherry tomatoes perfectly!
I had a tonne of tomatoes all of a sudden today and no idea of what to do with them.
I tried this and it was DELICIOUS!
We were almost combative about the last spoonful and DH licked the plate upon which the croutons had been resting.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
We have a keeper.
I made this for dinner last night. My husband declared it the best summer dinner I’ve made. It’s on the menu fir the foreseeable future. Or at least until the end of tomato season.
Made this last night with a medley of colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes, it was simple and perfect. I’d suggest putting the breadcrumbs on about 30 before serving to give them a mix of textures.
Made this finally and it was a total hit at a fabulous ladies dinner party. Perfect for my summer tomatoes I have trouble getting through at home (because my boyfriend and stepson dislike tomatoes!!!)
I did more of a large, shaggy crouton (bigger than these crumbs, smaller than a normal crouton mostly because I was too lazy to get out/use/wash the food processor), a very small amount of feta, and the addition of sliced and lightly blanched snap peas (because I desperately needed to use some up). Balsamic, olive oil, black pepper, shredded basil. It was perfect. The hit of the party.