Tomato salad ‘Maman Blanc’

Use sweet, ripe tomatoes in this simple yet delicious side dish, lightly dressed with garlic, basil and olive oil
Ingredients
800g tomatoes (Coeur de Boeuf or Marmande), destemmed and cored (see tip, below left)
1 banana shallot or small red onion, peeled and finely sliced
For the dressing
½ garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the garnish
6 basil or flat-leaf parsley sprigs, leaves picked and torn or roughly chopped
Method
Cut the tomatoes across into slices, about 5mm thick. Arrange them in a shallow oval serving dish, scatter over the shallots and season with 4 pinches of sea salt. Set aside.
To make the dressing, mix together the garlic, wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and 1 tbsp warm water. Add the oil slowly, whisking constantly, then whisk in another 1 tbsp warm water to emulsify and thin the dressing. Season with sea salt and pepper. Spoon the dressing over the tomatoes and leave to marinate for about 1 hr at room temperature. Scatter over the herbs to serve.