Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella

Barely a recipe — that’s the whole point. When the tomatoes come in and the basil takes over the herb bed, Stephen doesn’t cook so much as arrange. Find the best tomato you can, the best mozzarella your cheesemonger will sell you, a handful of basil. Salt. A generous pour of Estate Tuscan Blend. Serve it with bread. Open a bottle.

This is a plate we make from July through September, sometimes twice a week. It’s what a summer soirée looks like at Baker Lane: a big platter in the middle of the table, everyone tearing off pieces of bread, the light staying late.

Where we source it. If you’re building yours from the Sebastopol Farmers Market on a Sunday morning: The Patch has sixteen varieties of heirloom tomatoes picked hours before the market opens. Singing Frogs Farm grows the basil and the greens a few minutes down the road. Mt. Eitan Creamery makes fresh goat cheese that stands in beautifully if you can’t find fior di latte. Marla Bakery sells the country loaf. Estate Tuscan Blend and Aceto Vivo, ours.

Instructions

1. Bring the tomatoes to room temperature.

This is the only real rule. Cold tomatoes taste like nothing. Pull them off the counter (never the fridge) at least thirty minutes before you plan to slice. If you have to store them, do it stem-side down on the counter, never sealed in plastic.

2. Slice, with intention.

Big tomatoes into thick rounds, about a half inch. Halve any cherry tomatoes. Use a serrated knife and don’t saw — one clean pass. The goal is to keep the juice in the tomato, not on the cutting board.

3. Tear the mozzarella by hand.

Rough, imperfect pieces catch more olive oil and more salt than clean knife cuts. Aim for chunks about the size of the tomato slices. If you’re using Mt. Eitan’s goat cheese instead, spoon it in generous dollops rather than trying to slice it.

4. Arrange on a platter.

Lay the tomatoes down first. Nest the cheese between and on top. Tear the basil leaves at the last minute, whole leaves for the large ones, torn for the rest, and scatter across.

5. Season and pour.

Flaky salt across the whole platter. A generous crank of black pepper. If you want a hint of acid to lift everything, a very small splash of Aceto Vivo across the tomatoes only. Then the Estate Tuscan Blend, poured in a slow ribbon – more than feels reasonable. The pool of oil around the edge of the platter is not a mistake; it’s where the bread lives.

6. Serve immediately.

With Marla’s country loaf, torn into pieces. With a chilled bottle of the 2024 Viognier. With a table you don’t plan to leave for a while.