Heirloom Tomato with Pluot, Opal Basil and Yogurt
July 29, 2026
"To me there is no brighter star in the peak of summer like stone fruit and heirloom tomatoes. When July hits, Santa Ynez is flush with so many varieties of tomatoes and pluots it’s hard to go wrong. This summer at BLC we are serving Chavez Farm Heirloom Tomatoes, Burkdoll Farm Flavor Gold Pluot, Earthtrine Farm Opal Basil & Yogurt. The sneaky star of this dish is a smoked paprika oil, made from smoked paprika, blended oil, garlic, lemon peel and fish sauce. This oil adds a deep, rich dimension to the dish without being overpowering. It’s garnished with fried capers." - Chef Brad Mathews
In this Recipe
Ingredients
Heirloom tomato 1 ripe
Flavor Gold pluot (or preferred pluot variety) 1 ripe
Fried capers 1 tbsp
Yogurt (seasoned with salt and lemon zest) 1 tbsp
Opal basil 1 small bunch
Maldon salt To taste
Extra virgin olive oil To taste
Rice wine vinegar (we steep lemon verbena from our garden in the vinegar to add a lovely bright herbaceous quality) To taste
Steps
- Heat the oil, then add the paprika, garlic, lemon, and fish sauce and combine. Let cool to a room temperature.
- Cut your tomato and pluot in fork size wedges. Dress with salt, olive oil and vinegar.
- Spread a small amount of yogurt in the bottom of a bowl.
- Plate the dressed tomatoes and pluots. Drizzle with paprika oil.
- Garnish with opal basil, fried capers and finish with a bit more maldon salt.
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