As humans slowly transitioned from nomadic ways of living to more static communities, farming and the cultivation of fruits and vegetables developed alongside our new way of existing.
Many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy today looked a lot different back then. Some fruits and veggies were smaller, different coloured or might even have been comprised mostly of seeds.
Some of the earliest domesticated fruits are plums and grapes, which are found in different places of origin around the globe and heritages.
This salad celebrates stone fruits and gifts from the grape vine. It doesn’t focus on lettuce leaves but is inspired by the Italian classic Caprese salad. In place of fresh mozzarella, I went for a parmesan mousse. It is accented by an anisette liquor and rosemary. These savory notes play really well with the sweet and tangy notes from the fruits that are the star of this salad.
If you feel like playing around with the textures, you can crisp up the prosciutto in a frying pan. If you can’t find garlic scapes, you can use chives or the green portion of green onions. Be sure to use real parmesan that you have to grate yourself or the mousse will not have the desired final texture
Late Summer Harvest Salad with Proscuitto and Parmesan Mousse
- Created by Chef Ilona Daniel
- Serves 4-6
The salad:
- 3 red plums, sliced
- 3 nectarines, sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup red grapes, sliced
- 1 shallot sliced into rings
- 1 handful basil leaves
- 1 package (about six slices) prosciutto
- 4 tbsp chopped pumpkin seeds
Garlic Scape Vinaigrette:
- 4-6 garlic scapes (if the outside skin is tough, give it a quick blanch)
- 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
Directions:
In a food processor, blitz the garlic scapes with the vinegar, mustard and honey. With the processor going, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once the dressing is emulsified, adjust seasoning to your taste.
Parmesan Mousse:
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, minced in a food processor or chopped as finely as you can
- 1.5 oz Pernod
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 sprigs rosemary or thyme
- Salt to taste
Directions:
- In a heavy bottomed pot, saute the onion in the vegetable oil without browning the onion. Next, add in the Pernod and reduce until nearly all of the Pernod has almost completely evaporated. Stir in the whipping cream and the finely grated Parmesan.
- While stirring, bring this mixture to a gentle boil; drop in the rosemary sprig and turn off the heat. Leave the mixture to steep for 10 minutes and then strain using a fine mesh sieve. Add in salt to your preferences.
- Put the mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but I prefer an hour. Once fully chilled, whip using whisk or stand mixer.
- Assemble the salad onto a serving platter as desired. Drizzle with garlic scape vinaigrette. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the salad and dollop the mousse in small spoonfuls over the salad. Garnish with basil leaves and chopped pumpkin seeds.
Chef Ilona Daniel's food column, Food Seductress, runs on the first Friday of each month. She welcomes comments from readers by email at [email protected] or on twitter: Twitter.com/chef_ilona.
