sel et sucre

Tag: fruit

  • Balsamic Pickled Cherries

    balsamic pickled cherries

    Cherries are in season here in South America, and while I’ve been enjoying eating them out of hand (and using them in place of strawberries in my strawberry bourbon lemonade), I wanted to get a little more creative. I’m a big fan of pickled fruit (like peaches), since I find the natural sweetness of fruit is well-complemented by the tartness of vinegar. This recipe caught my eye – although I’d never seen anything pickled with balsamic vinegar before, cherries and balsamic seemed like a perfect match. The result was everything I’d hoped for. An amazing blend of sweet and tart, these cherries are amazing on salads and sandwiches, and I think they’d also make a great addition to a cheese plate. The added benefit to this recipe is the cherry-infused balsamic vinegar – great for salad dressings or drizzling anywhere you’d use balsamic.

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  • Layered Fruit Salad with Whipped Coconut Cream

    layered fruit salad with whipped coconut cream

    I have a history of becoming really passionate about something and then letting it fall by the wayside when a new obsession comes my way. When I was really into knitting, for example, I didn’t just knit scarves and hats; I knit complete sweaters, bookmarked hundreds of patterns, and collected boxes and boxes of yarn. And I still have those dusty sweaters, patterns, and yarn, despite not having knit anything for years. So when I started this blog, I was worried that I might lose interest, stop posting, or get sick of food (okay, I never thought that last one could actually happen). But over the past year, I’ve only found myself becoming more and more passionate about cooking. This blog has become extra motivation to keep expanding my repertoire, and I’ve found that not only has my cooking improved as a result, but so has my photography and writing. Yes, this is my one year anniversary – for an entire year, I’ve been posting three recipes a week (not always an easy feat with a full-time job), and although it’s been difficult and stressful at times, it’s also been really really fun. Nothing too fancy today to celebrate, just a tasty and simple fruit salad with a twist. Whipped coconut cream on top adds the perfect amount of richness to this summer dessert, and sliced almonds add a little crunch. I hope you enjoy the recipe and hope you’ve been enjoying my blog! Thanks to anyone who’s reading this, and here’s to another year.

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  • Peaches in Basil Syrup

    peaches in basil syrup

    I knew I wanted to combine peaches and basil for a tasty summer dessert, but none of the recipes I came across seemed quite right. I wanted something simple, something that would really focus on these delicious, seasonal ingredients – peaches from the farmers market and basil from my garden. So I created my own easy recipe. Basil leaves pureed with orange juice and honey then poured over peaches (I actually used a mix of peaches and nectarines). You only need a handful of ingredients and a couple of minutes of work to create this delicious concoction – great eaten plain but absolutely fantastic served over strained yogurt (straining yogurt makes it extra thick and creamy, just perfect for desserts). A wonderful little celebration of summer!

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  • Spicy Stawberry Fruit Roll-Ups

    spicy strawberry fruit roll-ups

    Earlier this week, I mentioned my trip to Istanbul and my newfound appreciation for Turkish food. As someone who loves spice, my favorite acquisition from my trip was a large bag of Turkish red pepper. An immensely flavorful twist on the crushed red pepper you may be more familiar with (and can use to substitute here), I’ve been taking any excuse to use it. Turkish red pepper is great with eggs or to add a little extra kick to dips or stews. But I’ve done something a little more unusual here. When I got back in town, strawberries were coming in season, tempting me at every turn, and I was determined to make homemade fruit roll-ups (often called “fruit leather”). As the strawberries were cooking down, I couldn’t resist throwing in a hefty portion of my new favorite spice, and the result was fantastic. Turkish red pepper isn’t too spicy, so there’s just a mild hint of spiciness at the end, a great complement to the perfect sweetness of in-season strawberries. I actually made a double batch of this recipe and left half as a sauce – amazing for stirring into yogurt, pouring over ice cream, or even adding a hint of sweetness to a salad dressing.

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