Flavor combos

The other day I took a bite of canteloupe with some basil leaves that were lying on the counter. Would be very good as a salad with toasted almonds (sliced would have best texture to go with the softness of the melon and the chewiness of the basil), lemon juice, lemon zest, a pinch of salt, and some black pepper. I tried fresh papaya for the first time this summer, and the basil treatment works beautifully with that as well. Papaya/basil and canteloupe/basil would make good sorbet--someone's probably already beat me to it. Papaya, basil chiffonade, toasted nuts and spinach make a delicious salad--and don't forget the papaya seeds! They have the texture of pomegranite seeds with a peppery bite, very fun to eat on your salad.

You can salvage a disappointing piece of fruit by sprinkling it with lemon juice, salt and honey/agave nectar. Try it with just the lemon and salt, and then add the extra sweetener. I ended up dressing the papaya this way fairly often. Even when it was ripe enough and sweet enough, the papaya just didn't have much flavor. But I still enjoyed it and I know that if I were to eat it in its native environment, it would have lush and intense flavor.

Right now I'm eating roasted potatoes and beets with some peas, a fried egg and leftover fruit salad. I'm happy!

Comments

tatterjil said…
Ruth did a sorbet with basil in it for her Aesthetic Gastronomy dessert. I am trying to remember the other main component -- I think blueberry.

I am always in awe of the way you can taste a flavor or combination and immediately think of what other flavors would best go with it. I struggle even to identify flavors sometime!

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