Heirloom Tomato Flights
The abundance of heirloom tomatoes has everyone going crazy for these brilliant tomato flights. Our garden is overloaded so it’s been on our radar to make heirloom tomato flights. Wow, this is one of those ideas that blow us away thinking “why have we not thought of this before?!”. We know we don’t live in a culinary cave, but come on…..
What are Heirloom Tomato Flights?
They’re basically like a platter of thick cut slices of heirloom tomatoes with a bunch of different toppings on them. That’s it and not exactly rocket science but the concept is just really brilliant. Think of it as a tomato tartine bar or as an appetizer. But if you eat enough of them, they’re like a main meal. What makes them fun is that each one is different, customizable to your personal taste or what ever you have in the fridge.
Can you use other tomatoes other than heirlooms?
Yes, and we totally understand the cost of heirloom tomatoes. Unless the farmers market is giving away these pricey tomatoes or if your garden is overloaded, this dish can break the budget. One reason why everyone is using heirloom tomatoes is probably because it’s seasonally abundant right now. But heirlooms are usually large tomatoes that can hold enough of the toppings. Now you don’t necessarily have to have a big surface area for the toppings, but it helps. If you can find some bigger beefsteak or slicing tomatoes, then you’re half way there.
Video: Heirloom Tomato Flights Recipe
Topping Ideas for Heirloom Tomato Flights
Ok, this is where you can get totally creative or use up all the little tidbits of ingredients leftover in the fridge. The possibilities are truly endless for tomato flights. Use your imagination and let us know what you come up with. Here’s what we did for our 6-tomato flight platter:
- Banh Mi Tomato: Of course we did! We’re all about Vietnamese Banh Mi and used our classic Vietnamese braised pork, Vietnamese pickled carrot and daikon recipe and a splash of our homemade fish sauce dip. The umami was AMAZING.
- Tuna Tomato Flight: Always always tuna salad. We love and always have a batch of our popular tuna salad recipe in the fridge. Add a little arugula and pickled onion. Done.
- Pesto and Brie Tomato: A swipe of our homemade basil pesto with some brie cheese is super duper yummy. Oh and don’t forget the arugula and balsamic glaze or vinegar.
- BLT Bacon Lettuce Tomato: now this one is a no brainer. Duh, we have the tomato now all we need is the mayo, lettuce and bacon. We did it for a BLT spring roll, now why not for a tomato flight?
- Prosciutto and parmesan: oh yeah, this one might be a little fancy but it’s really not complicated. Tomato, arugula, prosciutto, parmesan and lemon are amazing together.
- Don’t forget about a breakfast tomato flight! We added scrambled eggs, avocado and our homemade chili crunch. WOW this is the perfect brunch dish.
Heirloom Tomato Flights
Ingredients
- 1 large heirloom tomatoes , thick slices
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil , optional
- flaky salt , optional
- black pepper , optional
Instructions
For the Tomato Slices
- Slice the tomatoes thick, about 1/4 in thick.
- Place the tomato slices on a plate. If you want you can season the tomatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil if your toppings are not seasoned. But if your toppings are already seasoned, then wait until you create the flight before adding additional seasoning.
Banh Mi Tomato Flight
- We added pate, cucumbers, Vietnamese pork, pickles, cilantro and chili peppers. You could also use cold cut meats for a Dac Biet Banh Mi (house special) or any other banh mi fillings you like.
Bacon Lettuce Tomato Flight
- Swipe of mayo, lettuce and bacon. All Yummy stuff.
Tuna Salad Tomato Flight
- A spoonful of your favorite tuna salad over arugula and the tomato. Add some pickled onions.
Pesto and Brie Tomato Flight
- Spread some pesto over the tomato, add the brie cheese, top with balsamic, fresh basil and some black pepper.
Prosciutto, Parmesan and Lemon Tomato Flight
- Arugula, prosciutto, shredded parmesan cheese, some lemon juice and olive oil.
Breakfast Avocado Egg and Chili Crunch Tomato Flight
- Slices of avocado, scrambled eggs and chili crunch on top.
- Place all the ingredients on a platter and let your guests build their own fun tomato flights!
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Party Planning for a Bar
This is great if you have all your toppings prepped and ready. So for the day of the party, all you need to do is to slice the tomatoes right before everyone starts to dive-in. We love this concept because everyone can build their own tomato bites and it’s such a blast.
