The Peony Life » salad for dinner http://thepeonylife.com Creating memories through food Thu, 19 Jan 2017 01:07:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.19 Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing http://thepeonylife.com/2015/08/herbed-creme-fraiche-dressing/ http://thepeonylife.com/2015/08/herbed-creme-fraiche-dressing/#respond Sun, 16 Aug 2015 02:05:38 +0000 http://thepeonylife.com/?p=1086 Lately I’ve  been trying to eat more salads for dinner but am SO bored of the same old recipes. I had some hot house smoked salmon in the fridge and wanted to build a dressing around it. It didn’t take me long to reach for the crème fraîche. Indulgent I know, but a couple of tablespoons really... 

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Drizzle this Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing over my Smoked Salmon Benedict with Avocado

Drizzle this Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing over my Smoked Salmon Benedict with Avocado

Lately I’ve  been trying to eat more salads for dinner but am SO bored of the same old recipes. I had some hot house smoked salmon in the fridge and wanted to build a dressing around it. It didn’t take me long to reach for the crème fraîche. Indulgent I know, but a couple of tablespoons really make this dressing something to talk about.

The crème fraîche lends the perfect amount of creaminess to the salmon without being overpowering. The chives & dill add so much flavor and the apple cider vinegar brings a subtle zing!

I’m really happy with how this turned out! This salad dressing just seems fancy and decadent to me. Try this drizzled over my Smoked Salmon Benedict with Avocado for brunch or over your favorite salad for lunch.

This Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing will keep in the fridge for 2 days so you can try it would a couple of dishes.

Enjoy! xx

Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing is so quick & easy to whip up!

Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing is so quick & easy to whip up!

Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing
 
Prep time
Total time
 
This fresh and flavorful dressing is perfect drizzled over a salad or my Smoked Salmon Benny with Avocado!
Author:
Recipe type: Salad Dressing
Serves: ½ cup
Ingredients
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ½ tsp spicy mustard such as dijon
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
  • 1 tbsp chives, minced
  • 1 tbsp dill, minced
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Whisk all of the ingredients together and put in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
This recipe yields ½ cup dressing and will keep in the fridge for 2 days.

 

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Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata & Balsamic Glaze http://thepeonylife.com/2015/08/mini-heirloom-tomato-salad-with-burrata-balsamic-glaze/ http://thepeonylife.com/2015/08/mini-heirloom-tomato-salad-with-burrata-balsamic-glaze/#respond Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:35:14 +0000 http://thepeonylife.com/?p=389 Bur-ra-ta translated from Italian literally means ‘buttered’. It is a a typical product of Puglia, a region in the south of Italy and it is absolutely one of my favorite cheeses. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from a combination of mozzarella and cream.  The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside is a combination of both... 

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A SIMPLE DRIZZLE OF BALSAMIC GLAZE AND A FEW BASIL LEAVES HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE FINAL PRESENTATION

A SIMPLE DRIZZLE OF BALSAMIC GLAZE AND A FEW BASIL LEAVES HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE FINAL PRESENTATION

Bur-ra-ta translated from Italian literally means ‘buttered’. It is a a typical product of Puglia, a region in the south of Italy and it is absolutely one of my favorite cheeses. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from a combination of mozzarella and cream.  The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside is a combination of both mozzarella and cream, producing a unique, soft texture. It’s so delicate and just plain decadent! Even

though I’ve been cooking with and enjoying Burrata for years, there was a time when I not only had no idea what it was, but also didn’t see what all of the fuss was about. Alas, I’m reminiscing about my younger years, when I was just beginning to tap into my love for cooking.  I’ll share with you my highly embarrassing first experience with one of my favorite indulgences.

BEAUTIFUL HEIRLOOM TOMATOES DIRECTLY FROM THE FARMERS HANDS

BEAUTIFUL HEIRLOOM TOMATOES DIRECTLY FROM THE FARMERS HANDS

I had just returned from a 3 day work trip which included lounging on the beach in Hawaii, swimming with sea turtles, a shopping spree for my new bachelorette pad and epic local food. Oh, and I can’t forget that I was able to bring my best friend along with me for my layover. She came over to my apartment for a salad and we ended up in Hawaii 10 hours later. True story. How cool is that?

Life was fantastic to say the least. I was for the first time ever living by myself (sans room mates), making enough money to travel every other month and had a career & lifestyle I felt very lucky to have. Ultimately, I felt like everything was coming up Sacha and  that I was exactly on the path I was supposed to be on. Sorry! I’m just trying to set the scene and help you understand where I was in my life but I’ll get to the point.

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FARMERS MARKET MECCA OF FRESH TOMATOES AND BASIL

I returned from the grocery store with burrata in hand(fancy), poured myself a glass of vino and felt like a freaking grown up.  My bubble burst when I attempted to slice the cheese and was horrified to see all of the creamy liquid ooze out of the burrata. I had never seen this happen before. This isn’t normal right? What the H#%L! The cheese had gone bad! The grocery store had sold me rotten cheese. RUDE!

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES ARE MY FAVORITE KIND. I LOVE HOW THEY'RE ALWAYS DIFFERENT!

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES ARE MY FAVORITE KIND. I LOVE HOW THEY’RE ALWAYS DIFFERENT!

After feeling sorry for myself for a minute I took a serious page out of my mothers book and marched back over to the grocery store with my receipt and evidence of said rotten cheese. The kind gentleman in the deli gave me a look of pity and was thinking what I can only imagine was  ‘Awwww look at this poor clueless, naive girl.’ He continued to tell me that yes, Burrata was in fact supposed to be soft and creamy on the inside. That is whyyyy people actually buy it. I’m fairly certain my face turned as red as the purse I was carrying. If I had a tail it would of been creeping so far between my legs it would disappear. Ohhh my, how the self proclaimed ‘grown up’ just got taken down a few notches. I was so grateful to the kind gentleman for being discreet and not schooling me in front of the entire deli.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES & BASIL MAKE A SIMPLE & COLORFUL BASE FOR THIS SALAD

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES & BASIL MAKE A SIMPLE & COLORFUL BASE FOR THIS SALAD

Now I look back on that day fondly and it always makes me smile. I’ve come a long way in the kitchen from that day but I will forever be learning. It wasn’t my first humbling experience and I’m sure it won’t be my last. Until then I’m going to keep eating this salad all year round.

Enjoy this Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata & Balsamic Glaze as an appetizer or main dish. Just eat it. It’s so damn good!

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Salad or Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound heirloom tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 package burrata with 2 balls
  • ½ cup basil, sliced into little matchsticks
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp good quality olive oil
  • sea salt & freshly ground pepper
  • balsamic glaze to drizzle
Instructions
  1. Cut the clean heirloom tomatoes in bites sized pieces.
  2. Add garlic, basil, olive oil and S&P.
  3. Mix Ingredients
  4. Cover & place in the fridge to allow the flavors to mix, preferably for an hour at least.
  5. Remove from fridge and using a slotted spoon arrange on serving platter or individual small plates.
  6. Add pieces of burrata to the top of the tomato salad and garnish with basil.
  7. Drizzle with balsamic glaze

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