I nearly flaked on participating in French Friday's With Dorie this week. My in-laws are in town for the week, and Mozzarella, Tomato, and Strawberry Salad (pg 118) didn't seem to fit into any of our meal plans. Also, and more importantly, the recipe didn't call out to me. I like a caprese salad as much as anyone, but the simple act of adding strawberries doesn't seem to warrant a whole new recipe.
I woke up this morning and realized that it was Friday and I hadn't made my dish yet. There's no reason in the world this salad can't be breakfast food, so I ran around to make it before my in-laws arrive from their hotel, because I didn't have enough strawberries on hand to share. Nice hostess, right? Oh well, what they don't know won't hurt 'em.
I wish I could say, after eating this, that my "enh" expectations were proven wrong. The success of this dish depends entirely upon the freshness of the ingredients. Since I moved to Texas a year ago, I haven't found a single "fresh" mozzarella that even resembled actual fresh mozzarella. The closest and best one I've found is on level with Polly-o. That's not saying much, but at least it has a bit of moisture and isn't sour. The tomatoes were from the farmer's market, the strawberries were sweet, and I picked the basil from my backyard, so I couldn't have done much better as far as the produce goes. The salty-strawberry sensation was new to me, but after the first two bites I stopped noticing it.
Conclusion: Indifferent. This was a fine salad and a nice way to start the day. It didn't wow me, though. Maybe the secret is in the pink peppercorns. I used black. I don't anticipate going out of my way to make this in the future, though I may if I have the ingredients at the ready.
So sorry this one wasn't a huge hit for you. If you've got any leftovers, send 'em my way! :)
ReplyDeleteI see you making mozzarella next... seriously!
ReplyDeleteWait--normal people can make mozzarella?? OH BABY!!! lol
ReplyDeleteSorry this wasn't a hit. It can be a bummer when you can't get the ingredients you want.
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud reading about making this salad before your in laws came back to the house, too funny! We've got to find you some decent mozzarella for your salad, you could make your own, probably would develop huge arm muscles;-)
ReplyDeleteAh, I agree. I've actually made this salad with the non-fresh stuff and it wasn't as spectacular. Fresh is the way to go. Great post though!
ReplyDeleteThe secret is the pink pepper corns! Oh and I think the vinegar would make a difference for me. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi! Funny about excluding your in-laws on the dish, but it allows you to perfect it so as to serve to them as an after lunch but before dinner appetizer. I used some balsamic and evoo and it helped to strengthen the salad in the salad. I think I might want to try a yellow pear tomato next time.
ReplyDeleteI had all the components of the salad for breakfast too (after eating it once as a snack). I'm surprised you can't get fresh mozzarella. It costs an arm and a leg here sometimes, but the pre-sliced Belgioso at Costco is reasonable. I was so sorry to read about your lemon jelly!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh about not sharing with your in-laws. Sorry this one didn't work out for you. I'm not sure where you are in Texas, but I've read great things about Paula Lambert and her Mozzarella Company which is based in Dallas. Maybe you are there?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I do not know about this Mozzarella Company. I will have to research it. I'm down in Corpus Christi, which is right on the Gulf. Dallas is about 6 hours away.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.instructables.com/id/Great-Mozzarella-Cheese/
ReplyDeleteanother recipe for fresh mozarella:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.grit.com/Recipes/Mozzarella-Recipe-in-30-Minutes.aspx
Sorry for the flop, at least you can tick this off your list :)
ReplyDeleteI have an easy tip for making tomatoes super yummy for salad, esp. grape or cherry tomatoes. Slice them in half, toss with about a TB olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt, a TB or so of chopped basil or parsley or even better mix in a bit of fresh pesto if you have it. Place in microwaveable container and microwave on low for maybe :20-:30 just until they are heated and release some of their juice. Then refrigerate and use as needed.
ReplyDelete