Do you still experience childhood food nightmares?

Me, too.

For me, the nightmare always begins with me prying open my battered metal lunch box. (Cue in the music from Jaws: Jaws.)

On the worst days, there would be a processed cheese sandwich with gloppy mayonnaise, a box of shriveled raisins,  and a little metal container of canned fruit cocktail.

The fruit cocktail particularly stands out in my memory. You know–the fruit cocktail where all the fruits are so overcooked that they are indistinguishable one from the other.

Maybe it is just me but there is something seriously wrong when a cube of pear tastes exactly like a cube of peach. I remember picking out the cherries. They were the only good thing in the whole mess.

This Spicy Fruit Salad recipe will erase those bad memories of bad fruit cocktail.  It showcases the fresh individual tastes of each fruit. When you bite into the fruits you can actually taste their differing textures, too. Then there is the spiced syrup where star anise and chile flavors are infused into a thick syrup sauce that is poured over the fruit. That syrup can be as spicy and as exotic as you want.

This is not your mother’s fruit cocktail. Promise.

Summer’s Bounty: Fruit Salad With a Decided Kick

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Ingredients

• 1/2 C. granulated sugar
• 1 Serrano (or Jalapeno) Chile (halved)
• 1 Whole Star Anise
• 7 to 8 C. mixed fruit (I used blueberries, raspberries, nectarines and mangoes)
• 2 t. Chopped taragon
• 2 t. chopped basil
• Flaky sea salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Mascarpone Cheese for garnish
• Chopped jalapenos for garnish

Instructions

1. Simmer 3/4 C. water, chile and star anise for about 15 minutes. You want to create a spicy syrup with the consistency of maple syrup. You also want the star anise and the chile flavors to infuse the sugar syrup but, at this point, you can control how spicy you want your syrup to be by lengthening or shortening the cooking time. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Chill the syrup.
2. Assemble your fresh fruits in a pretty bowl. Add half of the sugar syrup to your fruit mixture. (Add more to your taste.) Chop tarragon and basil and add to your salad. Season to your taste with salt and freshly-ground pepper.
3. Garnish with chopped jalapenos and dollops of mascarpone.

Nutrition

Calories

737 cal

Fat

6 g

Carbs

172 g

Protein

33 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

7.8.1.2

205

https://bluecayenne.com/summers-bounty-spicy-fruit-salad-with-a-decided-kick

This recipe is adapted from a Melissa Clark recipe that appears here.

If my friend Marion recommends a recipe, I pay attention.

Just trust me. Marion knows.

That was why I was a little taken aback recently when Marion sent me a photo and a rave review of a watermelon and tomato salad. Watermelon? Yes. Watermelon and tomato? I wasn’t sure.

Marion sent me the recipe from her vacation. She is spending several months at her family’s lake cottage in Michigan. Her family has been vacationing there for over 100 years and they have come together yet again this year to enjoy good times and good food.

I could only imagine how beautiful and relaxing Marion’s Michigan idyll must be until she sent me photographs. I hope she won’t mind my sharing one of them  here. Can’t you just imagine sitting on that dock in a gentle breeze on a cool summer evening–a glass of Malbec in hand and a faithful pup by your side?

Back to the salad.

I consider myself a food adventurer. My pulse quickens when I come across a recipe with unusual ingredient combinations. So I decided to see if watermelon and tomato could indeed complement each other. I’m happy to report that the combination is delicious. The salad also presents beautifully–a gorgeous combination of colors accented with flecks of chopped green mint and basil.

Way to go, Marion! How could I have doubted you for even a second?

Recipe: Tomato-watermelon Salad with Feta and Toasted Almonds

4 C. watermelon chunks (1 1/4 inch chunks)
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes(seeded, cored and cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks)
1/2 t. (or more) fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt (I used Maldon)
2 1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
3/4 T. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 T. chopped assorted fresh herbs (I used basil and mint)

3 C. fresh arugula leaves, small watercress sprigs or baby spinach leaves
1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 C. sliced almonds (lightly toasted)

Directions:
Combine watermelon chunks with tomato chunks in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1 1/2 T. oil, vinegar, and herbs over melon mixture. Sprinkle salt over top and mix thoroughly. Grind pepper over mixture. Mix well and let mixture sit on your counter for about 15 minutes to let the flavors blend. Refrigerate to chill.

Toss greens in remaining oil. Arrange greens on a platter. Top greens with melon-tomato mixture. (Drain the melon-tomato mixture before putting it on your greens. It will have collected a lot of liquid.) Top with crumbled feta cheese and toasted almonds and serve.

Cook’s Notes: The original recipe calls for using heihad

San Marzano tomatoes and used those but I think the heirlooms would be wonderful in this dish and the added color would be pretty. Also, I used spinach as a base for my salad because that is what I had on hand. I’m intrigued by the idea of using arugula or watercress next time. I think the peppery bite of those greens would be quite good in this salad.

What temperature to serve this salad. The original recipe calls for serving the tomato-watermelon mixture at room temperature. I chilled mine in the hope of bring out a bit more of the sweetness of the watermelon. I was pleased with the outcome.

The original recipe for this salad appeared in Bon Appetit in 2006. Here is a link:

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/tomato-watermelon-salad-with-feta-and-toasted-almonds