Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Labor Day weekend was a time for our family to relax together and reconnect. I am very lucky to have a DIL, Kristen who loves to cook and her Mother, Darla who loves to garden. Darla is a Master Gardener and although she lives in the suburbs of DC, she keeps an urban garden in a community park. She grows the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes.

Pictured above are Cherokee purples, lemon boys, Arkansas travelers and rutgers. Kristen found a wonderful recipe on Epicurious and put together this beautiful salad that also utilized Darla’s cherry tomatoes, sungold yellow and sweet 100 reds. The only thing Kristen changed in the recipe was to substitute goat cheese for the blue and eliminate the celery since we had none.

We couldn’t have had a better holiday, with the exception of missing the family members who could not be here. We ate too much, swam, hiked, went for boat rides, played cards, and stayed up late each night sipping wine on the porch and enjoying the beautiful mountain air. It was the perfect farewell to Summer.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE

8 1/2 one inch thick slices crusty bread
4 large garlic cloves, halved
3 Tablespoons plus 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup currant or grape tomatoes or halved cherry or pear tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions

10 medium heirloom tomatoes of assorted colors, cored, thinly sliced ( we cut them in wedges)
1 small red onion, sliced paper thin
3 celery stalks, sliced thin on diagonal
1 1/2 cups coarsely crumbled blue cheese

Prepare barbecue (medium high heat). Rub bread with cut garlic cloves; brush bread with 3 tablespoons oil. Combine remaining 1/3 cup oil, currant tomatoes, and green onions in medium bowl; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Overlap tomato slices in concentric circles on platter, alternating colors. Scatter onion and celery slices over tomatoes, Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon tomato and green onion mixture over. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese.

Grill bread until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Cut each slice diagonally in half; serve with salad.

Printable recipe