Faro and Cucumber Stuffed Tomatoes

Tomatoes

10 tomatoes (slightly smaller than a baseball, one tomato per person)
1 cup faro cooked in water (2 ½ to 1 ratio until the faro is tender)
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and small diced
3 Tablespoons Blackberry Farm Brebis Cheese
2 Tablespoons minced Italian leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons minced tarragon
Extra virgin olive oil
Champagne vinegar

To make:
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Make a very small slit on the bottom of the tomato. Add a few tomatoes at a time to the pot, leaving them only long enough to loosen the skin. Immediately submerge the tomatoes in ice water to stop the cooking. Once you have done all of the tomatoes, the skin should come completely away from the tomatoes. Place them on a towel to dry slightly. Next, with a small paring knife cut around the stem end of the tomato, going in as deep as possible to remove most of the insides of the tomato. Set the cleaned tomatoes to the side on the towel.

Combine the faro, cucumber and Brebis in a bowl with herbs, champagne vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. You should mix the salad and set to the side for 10-20 minutes to allow for the flavors to combine.

Fill each tomato with roughly 3 Tablespoons of filling, then invert the tomato to present a perfect tomato dome. Dress the outside of the tomato with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper and a few drops of aged sherry or balsamic vinegar.

Fresh Cucumber Vinaigrette

Makes 2 cups

2 regular cucumbers, juiced
2 Tablespoons verjus
2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 egg yolk
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup grape seed oil
2 teaspoons chopped tarragon

To make:
Combine cucumber juice, verjus, champagne vinegar, salt, pepper and egg yolk in a blender. While the blender is running, drizzle in olive oil to make an emulsified dressing. Stir in chopped tarragon just before serving. Use at room temperature.

– Chef Josh Feathers