The Unseasonal Salad

Sometimes ingredients are great when they are not supposed to be. For instance, who would openly admit to enjoying a tomato or a honeydew melon in December? Tomatoes are best in mid-September, same with melons. That is when they reach their peak. I am all for seasonality, but what happens when a great melon and flavorful tomatoes come to market at other times? I used to say, not for me. Yet, isolation, experience, and life have had a noticeable influence on our food. If an ingredient is great, use it, integrate it, make it shine, throw away the calendar. Sure, my approach is a bit non compos mentis. That, of course, is why it works. For the menu this evening, we assembled a cheese course of Fourme d’Ambert with The Unseasonal Salad: salt-cured baby tomatoes, melon confit, pickled grains of coconut, celery leaves, and olive caramel.