Beyond Sweet and Savory

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Appetizer

Avocado caprese salad

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This avocado caprese salad doesn’t get any more delicious with peak season heirloom tomatoes, buffalo milk mozzarella, creamy avocado, heady basil, and a tangy balsamic dressing.

Every summer I look forward to the arrival of sweet, juicy heirloom tomatoes.  Lucky for us, beautiful heirloom tomatoes from Cherokee Purple to Costoluto Genovese arrived in droves late spring at the farmers market. Without fail the first salad that I always make is a classic caprese. This classic summer salad is my go to for lunch and dinner when I don’t feel like cooking.  To make it more filling, I added avocado for a complete meal. This avocado caprese salad doesn’t get any more delicious with peak season heirloom tomatoes, creamy buffalo milk mozzarella, creamy avocado, heady basil, and a tangy balsamic dressing.

For the salad, use different in season heirloom tomatoes for the best taste.  I slice them to about ¼ of an inch so they’re not too thick to bite into. The buffalo mozzarella are also sliced to the same thickness and arranged on a platter overlapping with the tomatoes and basil leaves.  Everything is lightly seasoned with salt and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the flavors meld and juice released from the tomatoes and mozzarella.

Right before serving, the avocado slices go right in the middle of the platter and a tangy balsamic vinegar is drizzled on top. This avocado caprese salad is a terrific first dish for a dinner party or a light meal served with crusty bread and can be scaled to feed a large crowd or a meal for one. Sweet heirloom tomatoes, herby basil, creamy mozzarella, and delicious avocado make this dish a real summer treat.

If you like salad, check out these recipes:  tomato fig peach salad, fig watercress goat cheese salad, and cherry tomato salad.

If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #beyondsweetandsavory on Instagram.  We truly appreciate your feedback and incorporate them to continually improve our recipes.

5 from 4 votes
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Avocado caprese salad
Prep Time
10 mins
 

This avocado caprese salad doesn’t get any more delicious with peak season heirloom tomatoes, buffalo milk mozzarella, creamy avocado, heady basil, and a tangy balsamic dressing.




Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: avocado salad, caprese salad, heirloom tomatoes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound heirloom tomatoes
  • 8 ounces buffalo mozzarella, room temperature
  • 2 Hass avocados, pitted and sliced
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsbp aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp Flaky sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp Freshly ground pepper
Instructions

  1. Slice mozzarella into ¼ inch slices.  Lay them on a plate and let them sit loosely cover to room temp.

  2. Slice the tomatoes into ¼ inch slices.

  3. On a serving platter, arrange the mozzarella, tomato slices, and whole basil leaves so they overlap.  Sprinkle with salt and let them sit at room temp for 15 minutes.

  4. To prepare the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and pepper.




  5. Slice the avocados lengthwise and set them in the middle of the platter.  

  6. When ready to serve, drizzle with balsamic dressing.

Recipe Notes

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Garbanzo bean hummus chive blossoms and toasted sesame seeds

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Hummus is a delicious and nutty Middle Eastern dip perfect with pita chips, flatbread, vegetable crudites, or part of a mezze platter.

chive blossoms on white plate

Lately it’s been quiet around here because I’ve been working a lot and traveling this month.  Last weekend we visited the Bay Area and my sister in law took us to DishDash, a wonderful Middle Eastern restaurant in downtown Mountain View.  After years of telling her that we weren’t interested in going, it ended up being the best meal on our trip! Since we’ve been making our own flatbread, hummus, kofta, and chicken kabob for years, I was skeptical that a chain restaurant could wow us but boy was I wrong!  We came for dinner at 6 pm and the restaurant was packed.  For appetizers, I ordered the hummus and baba ghanoush. I was in utter silence after my first taste of the hummus.  It was the BEST hummus that I have ever tasted. Light. Creamy. Flavorful. Both my husband and son agreed. We literally stuffed our bellies with hummus and pita bread while we waited for the entrees.  Our main courses, mansaf (slow cooked lamb, yogurt, and basmati rice) and combo kebab of chicken, kofta, and lamb were cooked perfectly and so delicious!

hummus

Since coming home, I’ve been playing around with my hummus recipe to get the taste and texture similar to the hummus at DishDash.  I took a quick iphone snap of their hummus recipe and only three ingredients were listed: organic garbanzo beans, tahini, and extra virgin olive oil.  We have those ingredients stockpiled in our pantry so it’s been a breeze to whip up a batch.

hummus

For the hummus, I usually use canned garbanzo beans to save time but you can use dried ones if you have time to soak it the night before cooking it.  Make sure you use good quality tahini and olive oil since traditional Middle Eastern hummus isn’t flavored. I do add in a clove of garlic for extra kick and fresh lemon juice to add a bright note.  To get the creaminess and smoothness of Dish Dash’s hummus, I had a little help from my Vitamix. When I’m lazy and use my Cuisinart food processor it comes out a bit more chunky. I love garnishing mine with chive blossoms from our garden and toasted sesame seeds since the oniony taste of chive blossoms and nuttiness of sesame seeds perfectly complement the creaminess of hummus.  This hummus version is our favorite but you can garnish yours with sumac, paprika, zaatar, or whatever you fancy. We love eating this hummus with pita chips, using it as a spread on toast and sandwiches, and adding it as part of a mezze with flatbread.

If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #beyondsweetandsavory on Instagram.  We truly appreciate your feedback and incorporate them to continually improve our recipes.

5 from 8 votes
hummus
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Garbanzo bean hummus with chive blossoms and toasted sesame seeds
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Hummus is a delicious and nutty Middle Eastern dip perfect with pita chips, flatbread, vegetable crudites, or part of a mezze platter.

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keyword: Dip, Hummus, Mezze
Servings: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • 1 can of organic garbanzo beans, 16 oz
  • 6 tbsps tahini
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and extra for topping
  • 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup water and more if needed
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsps chive blossoms
  • 2 tbsps toasted black or white sesame seeds
Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans.

  2. Place the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a Vitamix or food processor and pulse for a minute until combined.

  3. Add the garbanzo beans and water to the tahini mixture and pulse for 3-4 minutes until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed to integrate all the large chunks. If the mixture is too thick for your liking, add one tablespoon of water at a time and pulse until you get the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

  4. Scrape the hummus into a bowl, top with additional extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with chive blossoms and toasted sesame seeds.

Fig and goat cheese tart with thyme and hazelnut

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Hey there! It’s been awhile since we posted a recipe. Life got a bit busy. Actually a LOT busy since we became a family of four in August. More on that later!

 

For now I want to share a fig recipe because it’s National Fig Week! If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know how crazy I am about figs. I love figs in desserts and in a snack but once in a blue moon I love a savory fig dish. The sweetness of fig paired with the tang of goat cheese makes this tart a perfect light lunch. It is super easy to throw together because the recipe uses store bought puff pastry. These days we rely on quick meals to get us through the day with both of our boys keeping us super busy. You can enjoy the tart by itself or with a light salad of some peppery greens like watercress or arugula. Enjoy!

Fig and goat cheese tart with thyme and hazelnuts

About 10 oz of puff pastry
6 ripe figs
2 tbsps goat cheese
½ tsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsps toasted hazelnuts
Egg yolk for brushing
1 tsp sanding sugar
All purpose flour for dusting
Extra honey and thyme leaves for serving

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Lightly dust a pastry board or work surface with flour and roll the pastry out into a 9×7 inch oval.

3. Carefully lift the pastry onto the baking sheet, taking care not to stretch the dough.

4. Leave a one inch border, prick the pastry with a fork, and pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

6. In a bowl, mix the goat cheese, honey, and thyme leaves together until well combined.

7. Slice the figs into circles.

8. Remove the puff pastry from the freezer.

9. Spread the goat cheese mixture over the pastry, leaving a one inch border around the edges.

10. Arrange the fig slices on top of the goat cheese.

11. Fold the edges of the puff pastry over the fig slices and press gently to seal.

12. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle the sanding sugar over the edges.

13. Bake the tart in the middle rack for 20-25 minutes until the tart becomes light golden and juices start to run from the figs.

14. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving.

15. When ready to serve, sprinkle the toasted hazelnuts on top and garnish with additional thyme leaves and honey.

Honey roasted figs with goat cheese and Serrano ham on sourdough toast

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Fig is hands down one of my favorite fruits, and I eat my weight in figs when they are in season. Lucky for us, figs appear as early as late spring and last all the way until fall. My favorite farmer told me that there are a few weeks left of figs so I’ve been hoarding them for jams, tarts, ice cream, salad, and other dishes. 

Today, I’m sharing an easy dish that we often snack on at home or serve as an appetizer at our dinner party–honey roasted figs with goat cheese and Serrano ham on sourdough. These toasts have a lot of flavor–sweet, salty, and tang from all the ingredients. Make sure you get the soft and sweet figs for this dish. Enjoy!




 


Honey roasted figs with goat cheese and Serrano ham on sourdough toast

8 figs (brown turkey, black mission, or your favorite figs), quartered if big, halved if smaller
2 tbsps honey
1 tbsp water
1 tsp sherry
¼ cup goat cheese
2 tbsps toasted hazelnuts, crushed
4 slices of sourdough bread, toasted
4 thin slices of Serrano ham

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a small sauce bowl, whisk the honey, water, and sherry.

3. Drizzle the cut-side of figs with honey mixture. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes until the figs are just caramelized.

4. Spread one tablespoon of goat cheese over the bread slices. Top with Serrano ham, caramelized figs, and crushed hazelnuts.

5. Serve immediately

Wild ramps pesto pizza with asparagus and peas

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Pizza was not something that I grew up with. It was my husband who introduced me to pizza when we met in college. While I grew up with Vietnamese food, Vu grew up with American food. I credit him for my love of pizza as well as Italian food. A few years ago, we began making pizza at home and started experimenting with seasonal ingredients to expand our arsenal of pizza recipes. It’s been a very rewarding journey in pizza making. 

Today, we’re sharing one of our favorite vegetarian pizzas–wild ramps pesto pizza with asparagus, peas, and ricotta. Everything is homemade from the pizza dough, to ricotta cheese, and wild ramps and hazelnut pesto. All the flavors marry together and sing of spring.


Wild ramps pesto pizza
8 oz pizza dough
Semonia or all purpose flour for dusting
½ cup shredded mozzarella
¼ cup homemade ricotta cheese (recipe here)
2 tbsps wild ramp and hazelnut pesto (recipe here)
¼ cup fresh/frozen peas
5-6 spears of young asparagus
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 chive blossoms

1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. It will take about 15 minutes for the pizza stone to heat up.

2. Lightly dust a clean work surface with semolina or flour. Roll out the pizza dough into a rough 12×6 inch oval about ¼ inch thick.

3. Transfer the pizza base to a piece of parchment paper.

4. Prick the base with a fork, place the pizza on the lowest rack, and bake for 7 minutes. Leaving the pizza on the lowest rack helps crisp the base.

5. Remove pizza base from the oven. Spread the wild ramp pesto evenly over the base leaving a ¼ inch border.

6. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the pesto. Top with asparagus and peas. Dot the top with ricotta cheese. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

7. Transfer the pizza onto the heated stone and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.

8. When done, transfer the pizza onto a serving plate and top with cut chive blossoms.

Fava bean tahini and pepita dip

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Fava bean, or broad bean, is one of my favorite spring ingredients and only available for a short period from mid March through May. They’re an ancient member of the pea family with a delicious nutty and buttery taste. It takes a bit of work to get to the edible part–shelled, blanched, then removed from their tough outer skin–but completely worth it. 

Although most people like to make a fava bean soup, add them to salad and risotto, and even a tart but I love making a fava bean dip for flatbread and vegetables or as a spread on toast with soft boiled eggs. 

This fava bean is quite versatile so use your culinary imagination and enjoy!


Fava bean, tahini, pepita dip

¾ cup fresh fava beans
½ cup roasted pepitas plus extra for garnish
1 tbsp tahini
2 tbsps lemon juice
6 tbsps olive oil and extra for drizzling
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. Remove the fava beans from the shell.

2. Bring a small saucepan to a boil over medium heat. Add the fava beans to the boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes depending on the size of the fava beans.

3. Drain the fava beans and add the fava beans to a bowl of cold water.

4. Drain again and pop each bean out of its skin and set aside.

5. In a food processor, add the fava beans, pepitas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic and process for 2 minutes until the mixture resembles a course paste.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Remove the fava bean mixture and place it in a serving bowl. 7.Drizzle with extra olive oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and extra pepitas, and serve with vegetables as a dip or as a spread on toast with soft boiled eggs.

Korean Fried Chicken Wings

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People often ask where I get ideas for recipes and my answer has always been–EVERYWHERE. Sometimes, it’s a recipe from a cookbook, a food magazine, pinterest, or someone’s blog. Most of the time though, it’s a delicious dish that I had a restaurant and tried to recreate at home. In the case of these Korean fried chicken wings, the inspiration came from a food court at a Korean supermarket near my house. I had many wings before but these Korean fried chicken wings were different! Flavorful, crunchy, sweet, and tongue hurting hot from the gochujang. They would give those hot sauce wings a run for their money. 

I couldn’t bear to pay $6.99 for a pound of wings so I set my mind to make them at home. Over the course of a few months, I would ask for tips from my Korean friends and used my wings making experience to develop the recipe for these morsels of deliciousness. I made mine a little less spicy than the restaurant’s so I can still taste other foods afterward. If you can handle the heat from the gochujang, feel free to add more, double or triple the gochujang!  Enjoy!


Korean Fried Chicken Wings
1 tbsp garlic, crushed
1 tbsp ginger, crushed
1 ½ tbsps gochujang (more if you like)
2 tbsps white rice vinegar
2 tbsps soy sauce
¼ cup of honey
1.5 lbs chicken wings, joints separated and tips removed
1 ½ tsps salt
Vegetable oil for frying
1 tbsp of toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
¼ cup of green scallions, thinly sliced for garnish

Flour paste
½ cup of rice flour
½ cup of water

Flour dredge
1 cup of rice flour
1 tsp baking powder

1. To make the sauce, in a food processor, combine the garlic, ginger, gochujang, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey and pulse until well combined.

2. In a small saucepan, pour the sauce and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts bubbling, remove from heat and set aside.

3. Season the chicken wings with salt.

4. To make the flour paste, in a bowl whisk together the rice flour and water until it becomes a thin paste.

5. In a different bowl, whisk together the rice flour and baking powder.

6. In a large stockpot, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.

7. Dredge the wings in flour, dip them in the flour paste, and dredge them again in flour and shake off any excess flour before placing them in the hot oil. Fry for about 4-5 minutes until lightly golden.  (If you decide to use the whole wings, they’ll need to be fried for about 6-8 minutes.)

8. Transfer the wings to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.

9. Place the wings in a large mixing bowl, pour the sauce into the bowl and toss to coat evenly.

10.Put the wings on a plate, garnish with toasted sesame and scallions, and serve immediately.

Zucchini blossoms stuffed with crab meat and ricotta cheese

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A few years ago, my husband surprised me with an anniversary dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant, Cucina Urbana. The most memorable dish we had that night was the fried zucchini blossoms, stuffed with ricotta cheese and served with a dollop of basil pesto and lemon aioli. We were taken by surprise at how a delicate flower when paired with ricotta cheese, pesto, and lemon would bring such depth of flavor. Ever since, I have been recreating this delightful anti-pasti whenever summer comes around and zucchini blossoms start appearing at the farmers market. 


I played around with different ingredients and found that crab and ricotta make the perfect filling. Instead of basil pesto and lemon aioli, I kept things simple and drizzled a little bit of black truffle oil on the fried zucchini blossoms. The stuffed zucchini flowers when fried are slightly crunchy on the exterior but literally melt in your mouth and the truffle oil creates an exquisite taste.  


Zucchini blossoms won’t be appearing at the farmers market for very long so grab them while you can!


Fried crab and ricotta stuffed zucchini blossoms
12-15 zucchini flowers
1/3 cup of ricotta cheese
1/3 cup of crab meat
1 tbsp of mozzarella cheese, grated
1 tbsp of lemon zest
Vegetable oil for deep frying
2 tbsps of black truffle oil

Tempura batter
2/3 cup of cornstarch
2/3 cup of potato starch
2/3 cup of club soda, chilled
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

1. To make the tempura batter, whisk cornstarch, potato starch, club soda, egg, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Don’t worry if the batter has a few lumps.
2. Combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella, crab meat, and lemon zest in a small bowl.
3. Gently open the zucchini blossoms, taking care not to tear the petals, remove and discard the yellow stamen inside.
4. Fill with the ricotta mixture, about ½ to 1 tablespoon, then twist the tips of the petals gently to enclose the filling.
5. Heat a large saucepan on medium-high heat with about 2 inches of oil.
6. In batches, dip zucchini blossoms in the batter, shaking off excess batter.
7. Deep fry the blossoms until light golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towel.8. When ready to serve, place the drained zucchini blossoms on a plate and drizzle with truffle oil.

Cherry Salsa

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We love salsa at our house, especially the fruit salsa–cherry, strawberry, mango, and peach.  These fruits seem to take on the lime juice and heat from the Serrano chiles quite well.  The result is a refreshing and delicious salsa that pairs well with both meat and white fish.  Cherry is our favorite because they hold up a lot better than the other fruits and have a nice texture if you can get your hands on the firmer ones.  We enjoy cherry salsa with grilled chicken burger, grilled fish burger, and pan fried white fish.  Grab some cherries and make this salsa before they’re gone!

 

 

Cherry Salsa
3 cups of cherries, pitted and quartered
¼ cup of Persian cucumbers, diced
2 tbsps white/red onion, chopped
2 small Serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded (more or less depending on your taste)
¼ cup of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Combine cherries, cucumber, onion, Serrano chiles, cilantro, and lime juice a serving bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chicken kara-age or Japanese Fried Chicken

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My friend Gail and I have talked about throwing a dinner party for the longest time. Figuring out what to serve is not the easiest thing. Finally, we decided on a Japanese tapas party, bringing many dishes to life from our favorite Japanese cookbook, Japanese Soul Cooking. Of course, no Japanese tapas party would be completed without chicken kara-age. 



Chicken kara-age is the Japanese version of fried chicken but marinated in a mix of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sake, and mirin, then dredged in potato starch and deep fried to a morsel of perfection. Using potato starch creates a light and crispy coating similar to the rice flour that I used for the Vietnamese sticky wings. Chicken kara-age makes a perfect appetizer before digging your chopsticks in a nice bowl of ramen but they are also delicious on their own for a snack.  And don’t forget your Sapporo!

Chicken kara-age (Japanese fried chicken) adapted from Japanese Soul Cooking
2 lbs of chicken thighs (about 4-6 pieces depending on size)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
1 knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
⅓ cup of sake
⅓ cup of mirin
⅓ cup of soy sauce (Maggi brand)
vegetable oil for frying
1 cup of katakuriko (potato starch)
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of baking powder
white rice (optional)
lemon wedge and fried green chiles (optional)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, ginger, sake, mirin, and soy sauce to make the marinate.
2. Cut the chicken into 1-1 ½ inch pieces and add to the marinate. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
3. When ready to fry, drain the chicken pieces using a colander.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together potato starch, salt, and baking powder.
5. Dredge each piece of chicken in the potato starch mixture and shake off excess flour.
6. In a large pot over medium heat, fill the pot to about 2 inches of oil and bring it to 350 degrees F (if you don’t have a thermometer, leave it on medium heat).
7. Fry the chicken for about 5-6 minutes, 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
8. Transfer the fried pieces to a tray lined with paper towel to drain off excess oil.
9. When ready to eat, serve with white rice, a wedge of lemon, and fried green chiles.

Cook’s note: I use chicken thigh because it creates the most juicy and flavorful chicken kara-age.