Sunday, August 1, 2010

Girls' Summer Lunch



I had two friends over for lunch and wanted to think of something light, yet classic so i could put my own twist on it.  I decided a caprese salad would be ideal since heirloom tomatoes are in the height of their season, and i'm always game for celebrating the delicious tomato.  When i was at the market, the produce man said the heirloom tomatoes were not as good as some years, but the little baby heirlooms were good, so i bought a variety of big and baby heirlooms.  I then decided that i would cut the tomatoes and the buffalo mozzarella and basil and serve it on a bed of wild arugula.  I also decided to grill some white peach slices and throw those into the mix.  I used a delicious store-bought salad dressing -- although i either should have used a bit more of it, or i needed something else with more of a "punch".


Unfortunately, I found that none of the tomatoes had the delicious sweet taste that heirlooms usually have.  I was very disappointed because i LOVE LOVE LOVE a good tomato.  I even threw a dash of salt on the tomatoes while they sat hoping that the salt would bring out the sweetness.  No such luck.  Overall, it was a pretty bland salad, but i think i'll work on spicing it up for the future since it's overall healthy, easy, and should be delicious.

Wild arugula.
Grillin' peaches.  Delish!!!
A variety of heirloom tomatoes - although this wasn't a great batch.

Here goes...

WILD CAPRESE SALAD
1 package of wild arugula
3 or 4 large heirloom tomatoes
(optional - 1 basket of baby heirloom tomatoes)
2 white peaches (too firm to eat, but perfect for slicing and grilling)
basil leaves
Lucini's Fig & Walnut Savory Balsamic, or a vinaigrette of your choice

I thoroughly washed the arugula and kept it in the fridge while i prepped the rest of the salad.
Slice the peaches into quarter inch thick slices so that they don't fall apart while you're grilling them.
Grill the peach slices and set aside.
Cut the baby heirlooms in half, and slice all the other tomatoes into bite-sized chunks.
Sprinkle with salt to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes (if there's any sweetness to bring out).
Chiffonade the basil leaves and mix into the tomato mixture.
Slice the buffalo mozzarella into bite-sized pieces also.
I then tossed the arugula with the balsamic vinaigrette and placed the tomatoes and cheese on top. 

Easy-peasy!




For dessert i decided to serve fresh strawberries and blackberries with my homemade schlag.  Can't go wrong with berries if it's their season.  (Although who would think you could go wrong with heirloom tomatoes?)

8 comments:

  1. Once again....beautiful. This is so much fun. Like be into a "soap" only I will call it an "eat". maybe the "punch" you are looking for could be using a Gorgonzola, Blue or Feta cheese. They say we eat with our eyes. Anything well presented is half eaten at first sight. I'm sure this was quickly gobbled up. Keep on going. I am anxiously waiting for next weeks episode of "Eat"

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  2. Rho, i love your "anything well presented is half eaten at first sight". But i truly love you and your enthusiasm for my postings.

    XO

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  3. Totally agree that beautiful food is part of the whole delectable experience! I've also been under-whelmed with some Heirlooms lately. Could it be that they rush to get them to the table is creating so-so farming? Have to get out to the Long Island farms and check out truly fresh ones soon!

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  4. I've thought the same thing about these so-called heirlooms. Are they not quite the quality they once were? Let me know what you find out.

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  5. Sorry your heirlooms weren't up to par, but it all looks beautiful and I love how you added grilled peaches, nice touch!

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  6. Nicole, thanks for the compliment. I can't wait to try your salted oatmeal cookies, although i'll probably use dark chocolate instead of white chocolate!

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  7. This sounds wonderful and love the grilled peaches. I'm not so patiently waiting for summer so we can get our garden going with some yummy tomatoes!

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