Whoever said beauty editors never eat has never been to a Shiseido event. The Japanese cosmetics company has a knack for finding superb caterers, and its recent fete celebrating both its 140th year of business and fall launches including Bio-Performance Advanced Super Restoring Cream and Lacquer Rouge Lip Color was no exception.
“This is the time for us to tell a story, bring the products to life,” says Heidi Manheimer, chief executive officer of Shiseido Cosmetics America. “It’s important to have a multisensorial experience. The food connects via the ingredients, the music reflects the mood.” To that end, Dick Page, Shiseido’s artistic director for makeup, created a special cocktail, while cookies were flown in from Japan. Here, Shiseido’s caterer for the event, Tastings NYC, shares a salad recipe that had editors begging for seconds.
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Heirloom Tomato Salad With Basil-Tomato Granite, Baby Arugula and Feta Cheese
For the Salad
5 medium heirloom tomatoes
16 heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
20 leaves of baby arugula
Sea salt
Fresh white ground pepper
Basil Pesto Dressing
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1/8 cup of pine nuts
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Basil-Tomato Granite
1 cup tomato juice
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon simple syrup
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons basil pesto (from recipe)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Cut the tomatoes in wedges and the cherry tomatoes in half. Season with salt and pepper and marinate them for 30 minutes in a medium bowl with the shallots, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
After marinating, remove the liquid and put it into a small bowl. Mix this with the Basil Pesto to make the dressing.
For the pesto, blanch the basil, then pulse the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt.
For the granite, mix the ingredients in a small stainless steel bowl and freeze. When mixture is frozen, remove from freezer and crush with a fork until ground like snow. For the salad, plate the tomatoes and put the dressing, feta cheese, sea salt and granite on top. Finish with the baby arugula.