Our event menus are usually bursting with local organic tomato love, they define our messy-sexy style so juicily. Like check out this glorious tomato tart recipe.
We are missing our parties, our clients, our beloved guests, and all the yummy tomato things we like to do for you! The award-winning bruschetta, the caprese skewers with gorgeous heirloom cherry toms in every color of the rainbow, our spectacular parmesan pepper-crusted fava tarts with meaty heirlooms, the burrata salad with lemon zest, the braised tomatoes that coddle the halibut in our Mediterranean entree...
Santa Barbara is famous for fabulous weather, I hear the accolades wherever I go, the minute I mention being from here. And in case perfect weather isn't enough of a blessing, we also tout outstanding growing conditions. Our local organic tomato season has to be the best on earth; really, February & March are the only months we don't have many tomatoes, and even then, I can usually find a few if I get to Farmer's Market early enough. But right now they are peaking & in their prime, they are not waiting for party season anymore, they got the party going on with no people at all, mother nature waits for nothing. And you don't have to either, our farmer's markets never stopped, pop in & take out all the lovelies you can carry!
TIP: For the pure joy burrata salad, we reduce balsamic vinegar so it stays on top of the food better with more intense flavor, we start with a bed of peppery wild arugula, we also add lemon zest & really good olive oil, fresh ground pepper, and as much basil as we can pack in there. We mix a variety of tomatoes and cherry toms & sweet peppers. It's also super yum with peaches & pit fruit just marked off on the grill instead of tomatoes.
TIP: for our Mediterranean fish dish we braise down sweet local farmer's market cherry tomatoes popped with a potato masher, chardonnay, garlic, fresh herbs, sweet onions & capers until it's jammy, then press the cobia, halibut or sea bass into that & roast it. It poaches quickly & it's glorious with the saucy bed of summer tomatoes.
Photo Credit Lucas Oliver Oswald