Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Welcome

In addition to my regular blog, I wanted a space to share some of the foodie things I love. In this blog, I'll share recipes that worked (and some that didn't) as well as restaurant experiences, food sourcing, and more.

Last year, around this time, I got obsessed with the Caprese salad. I would spend hours thinking of variations on that theme. Since the tomatoes in my vegetable garden are this close to ripe, I'll post some of my meditations on the Caprese.

"Typical" Caprese Salad
Fresh tomato slices
Bite-size chunks of fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Arrange on a plate, enjoy.

See? It's the perfect opportunity for variation. Deconstructed? Foamed? The postmodern possibilities are almost endless.

1. Caprese with a Southern accent
Fried green tomatoes with mozzarella melted on top, served on a plate swirled with olive oil and dusted in basil

2. Liquid Caprese
Pureed tomatoes with basil and a dash of olive oil, with mozzarella on the side

3. Deconstructed Caprese
One tomato, a sprig of basil, a little cup of olive oil, and a hunk of mozzarella

And there are so many other taste variations for this salad. When I had a last-minute dish to make and had no fresh basil, I substituted fresh sage. And used sage-infused olive oil. Delicious.

Or chevre instead of mozzarella.

Or dice the tomatoes and cheese, toss in olive oil and minced basil, and serve as bruschetta.

You see where I'm going.

So what are you going to make?

1 comment:

Noodle said...

I love Caprese salad! I usually make it with cilantro instead of basil though. I like the bite that cilantro gives it.