In a shallow dish, whisk together buttermilk, egg, flour and salt and pepper to taste. Place tomato slices in mixture. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish and season with salt. In a large heavy skillet heat 1/4-inch of vegetable oil. When hot but not smoking, dredge tomato slices in cornmeal and fry until golden brown and crisp. Be sure to not overcrowd the skillet. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. To make vinaigrette, combine the tomato, garlic, shallot, basil leaves and vinegar in a blender. Blend until smooth and add oil in a stream with salt and pepper and Tabasco to taste. To serve, place fried green tomatoes on a plate, drizzle with dressing and top with crumbled ricotta salata. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Recipe by: Cooking Live Show #CL8976 Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #845 by "Angele and Jon Freeman" on Oct 14, 1997