Blooming Tomato
Why should onions have all the fun?!
Forget the Blooming Onion (though it is undeniably delicious), because this summer the Blooming Tomato is taking over!
I’m always looking to do something new with veggies—to transform them into something special.
And sometimes just cutting a veggie in a different way can accomplish that goal...
This tomato becomes the centerpiece of a salad, and suddenly the salad is an experience—not just some veggies tossed together on a plate.
The trick is to cut it into wedges while leaving the bottom center intact.
Then top it as you like!
I’m going with Caesar dressing, lettuce, bacon, croutons—and to make it really special, some crab.
And just imagine this with some summer heirloom tomatoes!
Oh man, get ready for a lot of Blooming Tomatoes on my Instagram!
Blooming Tomato
servings: 1; makes 1 salad
Ingredients:
- 1 bacon strip
- 1 large tomato
- Pinch kosher salt
- Pinch ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Caesar dressing
- 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
- ¼ cup croutons, cut into small pieces
- Crab meat (optional)
Directions:
- Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp—6 to 7 minutes, turning once. Then transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain.
- While the bacon cooks, remove the tomato’s stem and place it stem-side-up on a cutting board. Then cut the tomato into 8 wedges making all of your cuts on the stem side and leaving the bottom intact (first cut the tomato in half one way without cutting all the way through, then cut it in half the other way without cutting all the way through, and finally cut each quarter in half without cutting all the way through—for 8 even wedges).
- Next, sprinkle the cut tomato with the salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the dressing over the tomato, fill it with the shredded lettuce, and top it with the croutons and crab meat (if desired). Finally, when the bacon has finished cooking, remove it from the pan, crumble it over the blooming tomato, and serve.
