Name: All-American Cherry Tomato Salad
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 2 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered (see note); 1/2 teaspoon sugar; Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon cider vinegar; 1 minced shallot; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Why This Recipe Works

Tossing the quartered cherry tomatoes with salt and letting them sit drew out their excess moisture, preventing our All-American Cherry Tomato Salad from suffering a watery fate. When we reduced the excess tomato juice and simmered it with vinegar and a shallot, its concentrated flavor made a potent base for the vinaigrette and gave our All-American Cherry Tomato Salad a double tomato flavor. Cubing the cheddar cheese so that it was the same size as a quartered cherry tomato ensured equal amounts of these ingredients in every bite.

Before You Begin

You can substitute grape tomatoes for the cherry tomatoes.

Instructions

SALT TOMATOES Toss tomatoes, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes and any accumulated liquid to a salad spinner and spin to remove seeds and liquid. Return tomatoes to bowl. Pour tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over saucepan, pressing on solids to extract juice. (You should have about 1/2 cup liquid.)

MAKE DRESSINGS Add vinegar and shallot to pan with tomato liquid and simmer over medium heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then whisk in oil.

DRESS SALAD Add cheese, parsley, and cooled dressing to bowl with tomatoes and toss to combine. Stir in maple syrup and bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.