Category Archives: Balsamic

Watermelon Salad with Queso Fresco and Balsamic Reduction

14 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by in Balsamic, Cheese, Cooking, Fruit, Recipe, Salad, Vegetarian, Watermelon

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I fell in love with watermelon as a kid.  Juicy, sweet, and available only in the summer, watermelon was a special treat.  We ate it by the slices, spitting out the seeds, or saving them for later (we’d pop them in the mouth and split the seed with our teeth, enjoying the sweet white flesh).  I remember my Dad telling us stories of his youth when he’d split the watermelon in half and scoop out its flesh with a spoon.  It sounded so indulgent and decadent to me!
One summer, when visiting my dad’s relatives, I tasted pickled watermelon.  As a child, it didn’t sound as strange to me as it might sound to most adults these days.  Maybe it’s because even back then I was obsessed with everything pickled.  I suppose, that experience has prepared me to accept and embrace watermelon in savory preparation.

I still remember the day I discovered the taste of watermelon salad.  It was during a restaurant week in Dallas, Texas.  The restaurant was in one of my favorite Dallas neighborhoods (Knox/Henderson) – Hector’s on Henderson.  They served the watermelon salad with red onion, feta cheese and basil.  And from the first bite, I was hooked!  I must’ve made the salad weekly for the entirety of the summer.
Here is my version of the salad with Southwestern flavors.  I use Mexican fresh cheese – Queso Fresco and cilantro.  Balsamic glaze does a nice job of offsetting the sweetness from watermelon.  If you prefer, you can use lime juice instead.

Watermelon & Queso Fresco Salad with Cilantro

Ingredients

1 smalls seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 ounces Queso Fresco, crumbled
2 tablespoons Balsamic Glaze
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Ground black pepper

Directions

1.  In a large bowl, gently combine watermelon, onion and cheese. Drizzle with Balsamic Glaze and garnish with cilantro.  Season with coarsely ground black pepper. Eat immediately.  You don’t want this salad to sit around.  
If you are sensitive to onions, soak sliced onion in iced water.  This will make them milder and more crisp at the same time.
Have a favorite way to eat watermelon?  Please share!

Spanish Tapas: The Love Triangle – Dates, Manchego & Bacon

10 Sunday Jul 2011

Posted by in Appetizer, Bacon, Balsamic, Cooking, Recipe, Spanish

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The adventure in Spanish Tapas continues.  I started a few posts ago with a recipe a recipe for Pork Meatballs with Piquillo Sauce.  These little meatballs (little only in size, big in flavor!) are also perfect serve as a second course, along a slice of potato tortilla (check back for a recipe in a week) or on top of angel hair pasta – you might want to double up the recipe for the Piquillo Sauce. 


Now that we have the meat covered, let’s go to the beginning of the meal.  This is one of the most simple, quick and easy appetizers.  The four ingredients are a breeze to pick up at the store, yet the combination of flavors together will surprise you – it is beyond-words-decadent.  A word of advice – you might want to make a few extra for yourself – they will fly off the plate at your party!


Medjool Dates Stuffed with Manchego Cheese and Wrapped in Bacon


Ingredients


12 medjool dates
12 pieces of manchego cheese (sheep’s milk cheese)
6 pieces uncured bacon, cut in half
Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Let’s talk a little bit about the ingredients.  Do buy your dates with pits.  The pits will actually keep the dates more moist – you don’t want a dried out date, do you?  Plus, unpitted dates are cheaper, and who doesn’t want to save some money? 
The Manchego cheese comes in different “ages” or rather “months”.  I chose a 3-month.  A young cheese will melt much better and is milder in flavor than a 6- or a 9-month.  
Fig Balsamic Vinegar is a bit of indulgence.  If you prefer, you can use traditional balsamic vinegar instead.  What’s even better, is the reduction of vinegar – pour the vinegar in a small pot and simmer until it reduces in volume by half.

Directions


1.  Preheat broiler on medium. Line a baking sheet with alluminum foil and set aside.


2. With a pairing knife, make a slit on a side of a date and remove the pit.  Place a piece of cheese in the cavity of each date.  Try to hug the date around the cheese, so as the cheese melts, it still stays inside the fig instead of oozing on your sheet pan.  Once the cheese is hugged, it’s time to hug the date – in bacon! 


Place the wrapped dates on top of a cooling rack instead of directly on the baking sheet.  The cooling rack raises the dates just enough so that the hot air circulates and cooks the dates more evenly and faster.



3.  Broil dates 3-5 minutes on each side, until the bacon is crisp. Carefully remove the dates on a serving platter and drizzle with Fig or Balsamic vinegar. Serve right away.


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New Addiction–Balsamic Glaze

19 Sunday Apr 2009

Posted by in Balsamic, Cooking, Recipe, Writing/Publishing

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I have heard about balsamic glaze (or balsamic syrup) and have been curious to try it, and now that I have, I am addicted.

Hello, my name is Anna, and I am addicted to balsamic syrup. (“Hello, Anna!”)

What is this delicious concoction? In the simplest form, it is balsamic vinegar with a touch of sugar that has been concentrated to a thick, sweet, rich potion by simmering over time. I tried the balsamic glaze both ways – by reducing the vinegar myself and by purchasing a bottle at a grocery store.

How to make Balsamic Glaze:

Pour twice the amount of Balsamic vinegar in a pot (if you want to end up with 1/4 cup, pour 1/2 cup into the pot). Bring vinegar to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the vinegar is reduced by half. Important – once the vinegar is reduced, remove it from the heat and pour into a jar or a bottle. I failed to remove the reduced vinegar from heat and the residual heat turned my beautiful drizzle into a fruit-leather-like consistency.

If this happens to you, you have two options: start from the beginning, or add a little bit of water or more vinegar to thin it out.  Similar to avoiding using cheap wine for cooking and making sauces, please, do not use cheap, sour balsamic vinegar for this reduction.

Or, you could purchase Balsamic Glaze:

Pretty easy. Open a bottle and drizzle 🙂 In terms of price, expect to pay more than for basic balsamic vinegar, but it’s definitely worth it!

Ways to enjoy Balsamic Glaze:


Drizzled over spicy and peppery baby arugula
Brushed on top of a pork tenderloin or roasted chicken
Over vanilla ice cream (I’m not joking)

Have a different way you enjoy balsamic glaze? Let me know!

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