Tomato party: a chef and his crew "cook" with a sweet, juicy, sun-warmed crop, right in the fields

Sunset, August, 2006 by Molly Watson

"This is our little slice of heaven," say John M. Teixeira and Shelby Mayfield about their Lone Willow Ranch, in California's San Joaquin Valley. Bordered by river and creek, their 48 acres of organic farmland near the town of Firebaugh are planted with more than 300 varieties of tomatoes, as well as dozens of different melons, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, lettuce, sweet corn, and herbs, not to mention fruit trees. "If there's a variety of something," claims Mayfield, "we like to try and grow it."

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Bart Hosmer, executive chef at Bradley Ogden's Parcel 104 restaurant in Santa Clara, California, agrees. For three years he has brought his entire staff out to the ranch, which supplies Parcel 104 with tomatoes and other produce, for what he dubs "the ultimate picnic." It's simple. They pick tomatoes, taste them, and (with no pots or pans) create dishes that aren't just fresh from the field but made in the field: BLTs, gazpacho, tomato-and-corn salad--food that pays homage to tomatoes in all their supremely ripe glory.

What began as an educational field trip has become a much-anticipated annual staff party, complete with homemade ice cream and impromptu tomato fights. "We get there and just run into the fields," Hosmer says. "It started out being all about the ingredient, but then so much camaraderie came out of it as well. We all really connect over these amazing tomatoes."

When tomatoes are this good, Hosmer insists that they are best eaten raw, with minimal fuss and intervention--a sprinkle of salt, a splash of vinegar. The picnic keeps everything simple, combining the tomatoes with their seasonal brethren: basil, corn, peppers.

The picnic has proven so inspirational for the Parcel 104 staff that last spring Hosmer planted a rooftop garden at the restaurant. "Lone Willow makes me yearn to have a farm," Hosmer explains. Teixeira and Mayfield gave them 18 seedlings to get started.

Bart's Ultimate BLT

"When the first of the tomatoes come in, I have to have a BLT," Hosmer says. "It is the quintessential tomato dish."

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

MAKES: 1 sandwich

  2 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices of artisan levain or sourdough bread
  2 tablespoons basil aioli (recipe follows)
  3 pieces applewood-smoked thick-cut bacon, cooked
  1 ripe medium tomato, sliced
1/3 cup loosely packed arugula leaves
  2 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced Salt and pepper

1. Spread one side of each piece of bread with basil aioli. Stack one piece with bacon, tomato slices, arugula leaves, and fresh mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with second slice of aioli-laden bread. Eat with gusto.

Per sandwich: 792 Cal., 69% (549 Cal.) from fat; 29 g protein; 61 g fat (18 g sat.); 34 g carbo (4 g fiber); 1,203 mg sodium; 130 mg chol.

Basil Aioli

This vibrant green, flavorful mayonnaise is also delicious as a vegetable dip or spread on toasts or crackers.

PREP AND COOK TIME: 30 minutes

MAKES: 1 cup

NOTES: If you are concerned about salmonella or bacteria in raw eggs, use 1/2 cup pasteurized whole eggs (available at some grocery stores) in place of the egg yolks.

  1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup canola oil
  2 egg yolks
  2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon each dried mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Dunk basil leaves into the boiling water for 20 seconds. Drain and squeeze out as much excess water as possible.

2. In a blender, whirl blanched basil leaves with olive and canola oils. Empty into a measuring cup or small pitcher and reserve.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk in a drop of the basil oil; continue adding drops of oil, whisking until mixture thickens to a mayonnaise-like consistency. Continuing to whisk, pour in remaining basil oil in a very thin stream. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Per tablespoon: 132 Cal., 99% (131 Cal.) from fat; 0.6g protein; 14.5 g fat (1.7 g sat.); 0.7 g carbo (0.4 g fiber); 74 mg sodium; 27 mg chol.

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Tomato-Corn Salad

Fresh corn is often so sweet and tender that there is no need to cook it. At the picnic, Hosmer and his team sometimes eat it right off the cobs they've just picked; he prefers this salad too.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

NOTES: Hosmer uses basil flowers in this dish. Just pull the flowers from the stalks and sprinkle them like confetti into the salad in place of (or in addition to) the chopped basil. They add a light, floral note.

  3 ears sweet corn
  1 pound tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup diced torpedo onion or red onion, rinsed in cold water and
    patted dry with paper towels
  1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped basil Salt and pepper

1. Over a large bowl, cut kernels off corn cobs and stir in tomatoes and onion. Toss with vinegar and basil; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving: 58 Cal., 12% (7 Cal.) from fat; 2.3 g protein; 0.8 g fat (0.1 g sat.); 13 g carbo (2.4 g fiber); 14 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.