Tyler's Heirloom Tomato Chow-Chow

We’re teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.

Tyler Florence has a knack for creating the “ultimate” stand-by dishes. With tomatoes at their peak, I decided to tap his culinary know-how for farm-stand inspiration.

Heirloom Tomato Chow-Chow
Tyler add lots of spices to his Chow-Chow, a pickled, mustard-flavored relish perfect for picnic spreads.

Cherry Tomatoes with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing
Fresh tomatoes are transformed into a decadent side, dressed with creamy, buttermilk blue cheese dressing.

Fresh tomatoes dressed with Tyler's creamy blue cheese dressing.

Simple Caprese Salad
Tomatoes, basil and mozzarella — it doesn’t get much simpler or fresher than this.

Bonus: Tyler’s Fried Green Tomatoes How-To

Catch more Tyler, Sundays at 9pm/8c and Wednesdays at 8pm/7c on his exciting new show, The Great Food Truck Race.

More Tomatoes with Friends and Family:

• Heirloom Tomatoes with Alison at Food2
• Easy Tomato Tart from Liz at the Cooking Channel
• Top Ten Things to Do With Tomatoes from Healthy Eats
• Alexis at Food Network UK: The seven deadly tomato sins
• Nicole at Pinch My Salt: What to do with slow-roasted tomatoes
• Margaret at A Way to Garden: More than one way to ripen a tomato
• Diane and Todd at White on Rice Couple: Sun-dried tomatoes (actually made in the sun!)
• Paige at The Sister Project: 3 substantial, healthy, vegetarian tomatoey main dishes
• Kelly at Just a Taste: Tomato Jam
• Marilyn at Simmer Till Done: Cherry Tomato & Maytag Blue Beignets
• Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: Roasted Green Salsa (green zebras and tomatillos), and how late August makes her hurt for New Mexico
• Caron at San Diego Foodstuff: Chunky Garden Gazpacho with Flowered Corn Tortillas and Melissa Clark’s Tomato Tarte Tatin
• Judy of Divina Cucina: Tomatoes the Italian way
• Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Savory Tomato Crumble
• Tigress in a Pickle: Over 50 ways to preserve tomatoes in jars

Past Summer Fest Picks:
Paula’s Perfect Peach Cobbler, The “Other” Summer Greens, FN Chefs’ Creamed Corn-Off and Paula’s Best Zucchini Bread.

Join the conversation on twitter at #summerfood.