Heirlooms may not always present the archetypal tomato in terms of physical appearance, but their bold stripes and unusual shapes have a certain elegance to them, not to mention that they hold the promise of a truly delicious fruit (or vegetable, of you prefer). The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook is a beautifully photographed collection of 50 recipes that all use heirloom tomatoes. The most basic way to enjoy one of these is plain, or with a bit of salt, because the flavor of the tomato itself is so wonderful. But even the most ardent tomato fan can get bored with plain tomatoes, so the recipes for gazpacho, salsas and even jams in this book can help to take full advantage of the summer's tomato crop.
The one caveat about this book is that many of the recipes call for specific types of tomatoes. Don't feel bound by that, though it will give you something to go on if deciding to grow your own or purchase them for the first time. Each tomato may have a slightly different flavor, but they are all tomatoes. Try different kinds and figure out which ones you like best. The odds are good that you won't be disappointed whether you end up with Brandywine or Purple Ball tomatoes.
8-03-2006 @8:49AM Kalyn said... Nicole, thanks for steering us to this cookbook. I'm going to look for it for sure. I love heirloom tomatoes and I've had fun growing different kinds. This year i have three Brandywine plants out of my 13 tomato plants, and I'm just starting to get some Brandywines. They taste wonderful - wish I could send you some! They're so big that one thick slice is enough to make a tomato sandwich, one of my favorite ways to eat them.
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8-03-2006 @11:22AM MJ said... Will love this> Love the old fashined variety of tomatoes and the diferent colors from deep reds almost black even and striped to orange and yellow makes a great plater drizzled with olive oil ,sea salt, and cracked black pepper. Not to mention the tomato and bacon sandwiches with dukes mayonaise!Going to make one made myself hungry.
lol
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8-04-2006 @1:48AM Jenn said... Mmm. Heirlooms. The first time I had one was about a year ago, and I tried the green zebra striped one. That's probably the best tomato I've ever put in my mouth. I'll have to check out that cookbook!
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