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| This entry is all about the fusion of old world flavors with new world ones. |
Summer Luncheon
I’ve heard it said that truly great cuisine is accomplished in the shopping… in other words, great ingredients make great meals. The other thing that we have to remember is that elegance is simple – overwrought, overworked ingredients make for muddy flavors and elegant meals are often very simple. A great steak is grilled over medium heat – a good marinade is all it needs. A great piece of fish is cooked to its point at medium high heat with a bit of pepper and herbs… simplicity is the key.
Here’s a summer luncheon that is memorable made with a true star from nature’s bounty: the carambola – also known as the “star fruit.”
I am lucky enough to live in a place where these beauties are found at the local market. However, I’ve always found them, though very decorative, to have very little flavor. My friend has a carambola tree in full fruit in her back yard and I plucked this one in the photo right off the tree. When it became bright orange and began to have a lovely fragrance I knew it was ripe. [Want to know a trick to having a carambola taste this good? Don’t refrigerate it!]
Slice it evenly – notice the beautiful shape (thus the name).
Make sure you pull or push out the seeds. Now it’s time to compose this perfect summer salad. I’m going to fill half the bowl with organic baby arugula – it’s peppery and sharp. Next, I’m going to add about half the star fruit slices and for added freshness and texture, I’m going to slice up a ¼ of a fresh fennel bulb.
I’m slicing the fennel lengthwise and I’m going to dress this salad with my go-to Dijon mustard vinaigrette (see my entry on “Cold Pressed Olive Oil” for the recipe) and garnish it with roasted sunflower seeds. A great salad is all about textures so in this one we have the sharp, crisp fennel ribs, the sweet soft star fruit, the crunchy sunflower seeds and the peppery arugula greens. The fennel and arugula are a very traditional Mediterranean combination – the carambola makes it new world – a perfection fusion of both.
For this summer luncheon, I have a few slices of London broil leftover from dinner and a wonderful country bread. I’m going to use some of the fennel fronds to flavor a spread for the bread: 1 teaspoon sour cream, 1 teaspoon mayo, pinch of sea salt, some fresh black pepper, 1 teaspoon chopped fennel fronds = great spread for my sandwich!
This is a wonderful summer lunch.
Balsamic Reduction
One of the hallmarks of a great meal is a memorable desert. Since the best cooking begins with the best shopping, I was thrilled to find that my local market had fresh papayas flown in from Guatemala. I selected a beautiful 4 lb specimen that had just the right (it should be to be speckled and fragrant) and perfectly ready to eat right away. I sliced it in half (lengthwise) and scooped out the black seeds. [NOTE: dry a few and see if they’ll germinate – I’ve got one growing in a pot in my back yard.]
Because we’re only 2 for lunch, I sliced the 4lb papaya in half. I’m going to serve it with a balsamic reduction – this is a spicy syrupy concoction… it takes a fresh fruit plate to a new level of sophistication and it’s very easy to do. [DIFFICULTY: 2 SOPHISTICATION: 8] Measure out 1/3 cup of sugar, add in a dash of cayenne pepper, a ½ teaspoon of thyme, a dash of allspice and a pinch of Kosher salt. If you have any vanilla beans, a half of one will do nicely – if not, a few drops of good vanilla extract will also do.
Notice that I put all the dry ingredients directly into the sauce pan. Now, measure out 2/3 cup of balsamic vinegar (it can be the store brand – it doesn’t have to be the $45/oz version) and pour it into the saucepan as well. Mix everything together gently and turn on the heat (med-high) and leave it alone for 5 minutes.
It goes through a change of state and becomes thick, viscous and reflective (hard to photograph!). You’re done! Turn off the heat.
At this point It’s become glossy and it has a very complex flavor. If you chill it, it will become a very thick syrup.
Set out the fruit on a platter with a nice mound of Greek Yogurt and drizzle the still warm reduction onto the plate.
[NOTE: this also works wonderfully with pineapple, mango, and white peaches. It also works very well with berries like raspberries or strawberries (not so much with blueberries, though)]. Reserve most of the sauce for plating.
Set out the fruit, drizzle your balsamic reduction onto the individual portion, add a dollop of the yogurt and dig in.
It tastes like you slaved in the kitchen but it’s actually very simple.
I hope you enjoy these end of summer flavors in your own kitchen – let me know how your balsamic reduction came out and how you used it.
NOTE: Last night I drizzled some onto a slice of camembert served with a bit of guava paste. It was another fantastic example of fusing the old world with the new.
Note how glossy the balsamic reduction becomes when it's cold - it's truly an exceptional card for your culinary arsenal. Enjoy!
