A Local Summer Salad

This weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of having our good friend and professional chef, Justin, over for dinner. Although I usually take the lead in the kitchen these days, I was happy being his sous chef and learning some new techniques. Justin, who works at Friedman's Lunch in Chelsea Market (amazing brunch, try it asap!), uses local and seasonal ingredients which result in flavorful and fresh dishes. Using a bunch of heirloom tomatoes that he bought in the Union Square Green Market, we assembled a beautiful and fresh tomato salad with a balsamic reduction. Enjoy this recipe..... more dishes are to come!

Ingredients

Heirloom tomatoes

basil leaves

olive oil

2 cups balsamic vinegar

2 cups orange juice

salt and pepper

Start by purchasing a variety of heirloom tomatoes. The more colors and shapes, the prettier your salad will be.

Before you start cutting your tomatoes into smaller pieces, bring two cups of balsamic vinegar and two cups of orange juice to a boil over medium low heat and let it simmer for about an hour to an hour and twenty minutes until the liquid has reduced significantly. You want to make sure not to burn your balsamic reduction, so stick a spoon in the pot and check for a honey-like consistency - thats when you know it's ready!

While your sauce reduces, cut the tomatoes into similar size chunks, thrown in a few handfuls of fresh basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

When the balsamic is finished and has cooled a bit, drizzle over the salad and serve. This is such a light and perfect for summer nights salad!