Tomato Salad

I think of tomatoes as a salad topping, not the salad itself.  In fact, it's the salad topping I usually leave off.  However, when I saw a picture of tomatoes robed in creamy buttermilk dressing, I thought it was worth trying out tomatoes as the salad star.

I found some gorgeous heirloom cherry tomatoes that I thought would be perfect not only because of the taste but because of the varied colors.  I halved the tomatoes and tossed them with salt and pepper so they'd be ready for the dressing.  In a separate bowl, I whisked 2/3 cup of buttermilk, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, chopped basil, minced shallots, and minced garlic.

Because the tomatoes were halved, the dressing filled all their crevices (instead of sliding right off).  We  already know tomatoes and basil are a match made in heaven, but buttermilk is no enemy to the tomato.  I thought buttermilk dressing would be too heavy for a summer dish, but the dressing is thin so it doesn't overpower the salad.  The greek yogurt makes it slightly tangy and the garlic gives a little kick to let the sweet tomatoes know there's more than one ingredient in this salad.

Trust me, you don't need lettuce to call it a salad.  This is a true Summer dish that needs to make it's way to your table.