Literally all stone fruit at this very moment is stunning! I'm not sure what the science is but I've noticed every second year stone fruit is better than the last. This year just happens to be the year for exceptional peaches, apricots and necterines. Make the most of their supperior juicey sweetness because you're going to have to wait another 2 years to get it this good.
I've incorperated apricots into a new tasty salad with sharp and sweet blue ewe's milk cheese and decorated in ginger rye crackers, fresh chilli and spring onions. Simply summer on a plate.
4 apricots
1 bunch spring onion
1 large red chilli
100g washed baby spinach
Dressing:
100g blue ewes milk cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
150ml buttermilk
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 dried red chilli
1 clove garlic
Pinch sea salt
Ginger Rye Crackers:
350g rye flour
200g butter
100g grated cheddar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt
90 tablespoon cold water
METHOD:
Start with the crackers, place rye, cheddar, ginger, and salt in mixing bowl. Cube butter and add to the dry ingredients, using a fork press the butter into the dry ingredients till roughly combined. Add half the water and stir, add the remainder water and gently knead into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in fridge for 1 hour.
Once cracker dough has rested roll out into a rough rectangle 40x30cm on a floured surface, grease and line baking tray with parchment paper. Carefully wrap cracker dough round the rolling pin, then unwind dough over baking tray. Using your fingers poke bumps into the cracker dough surface to give texture. Bake cracker in oven preheated at 180oC for 15 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool completely.
For the dressing place a fry pan over medium/high heat and add the cumin and dried chilli broken into smaller pieces. Toast till the seeds and chilli become very fragrant and remove from heat. Put cumin and chilli in pestle and mortar and ground into a rough powder. Place all dressing ingredients into food processor and blend together for one minute.
Cut apricots in half and remove the stone, slice each half into 4 wedges. Trim spring onion and finely slice, cut chilli in half lengthways then thinly slice into semicircles.
To construct the salad you can either make 4 individual serves or one large platter. First lay down baby spinach followed by wedges of apricots. Sprinkle over desired amount of spring onion and chilli. Then break rye cracker into smaller bite sized chucks and scatter over salad, lastly drizzle over dressing and serve.
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