Credit: Stephen Jackson
(serves 2 to share)
Ingredients:
For the Granita:
1 large ripe heirloom tomato, cut into fat wedges and frozen
For the herb oil:
50g soft fresh herbs of your choosing: parsley, basil, dill, lovage, chives, tarragon
180ml neutral oil, like sunflower
A little sea salt
For the cheese:
1 whole burrata cheese
For the tomatoes:
A handful of mixed heirloom tomatoes, the more colourful a blend the better
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of golden caster sugar
A few fresh herb leaves, for garnish
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, for garnish
Method:
Firstly, make up the herb oil: bring a pan of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Once the water is boiling, add the herbs and cook for about 10 seconds, until the herbs are bright green. Using a slotted spoon, quickly transfer to the ice bath and let them sit for 5 minutes to cool completely. Transfer the herbs to a dry tea towel and squeeze dry over the sink. Leave the herbs in the tea towel and set aside for 15-20 minutes to dry further. The goal is to get as much moisture out of the herbs as possible. Transfer the herbs to a high-speed blender and add the oil. Whizz until the mixture is as smooth as can be. Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Pour the oil into the sieve and let it sit and drain for a few hours, stirring occasionally. Do not press the oil through. Once all the oil has passed through, transfer it to a suitable bottle or container and refrigerate. At this stage it will freeze for future use. Kept in the fridge - it will last a couple of weeks.
Now for the tomatoes: stir the sugar into the red wine vinegar until dissolved and add the oil. Chop the larger tomatoes into fork-friendly chunks, and halve any cherry tomatoes in your selection. Toss the tomatoes with the red wine vinaigrette and season well with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Allow them to sit for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavours to get to know one another. Place the tomatoes in the middle of a suitable serving plate or wide bowl, then gently place the burrata on top of the tomatoes. Finish with sea salt, pepper, and a drizzle of the green herb oil. Finally, take the tomato out of the freezer and wrap one end of a wedge with a piece of kitchen roll. This avoids slippage. Using a coarse microplane-type grater, generously grate the frozen tomato over the dish and serve immediately.
