Heirloom Tomato, Peach & Fresh Mozzarella Crostini

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Aprons & Stilettos

Over the weekend I spent some time working in the garden with my pops – weeding, picking oranges, checking sugar levels on the wine grapes and harvesting a large batch of heirloom tomatoes.

I absolutely LOVE heirlooms due to their refreshing and sweet flavor and unique colors and shapes. Now what to do with this batch of colorful beauties? Recently I experience a delicious dish from French Blue in St. Helena, California which inspired tonight’s appetizer. They offer this irresistible house made farmers cheese over grilled bread topped with strawberries and tomatoes. It’s to die for. So, that is the inspiration to this Heirloom, Peach and Fresh Mozzarella crostini. Sweet and savory, this is the perfect summertime appetizer.

Heirloom Tomato, Peach & Fresh Mozzarella Crostini

3 – 4 small / medium heirloom tomatoes (or 1 large one), sliced
1 large peach, thinly sliced
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
Baguette of your choice (I used Casa LaBelle Rustic Baguette)
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice baguette into 1/2 inch slices and coat with olive oil. Season lightly with salt & pepper and bake them for about 8 – 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove crostini’s from the oven and layer with a peach slice, tomato and mozzarella. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Ingredients used:

Casa LaBelle Bread – Casa LaBelle is a small bakery located in the tiny resort town of Monte Rio in Sonoma County.
Peach, Mozzarella and Sweet Basil – Mike’s Truck Garden (one of my favorite local produce stands)
Heirloom Tomatoes – homegrown and straight from the garden.

Enjoy! ~Crystal

Pearl Couscous Avocado-Plum Salad

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Aprons & Stilettos

A few weekends ago I picked a large basket of ripe plums from the backyard and OH MY…. they were delicious! In the past, we’ve made plum jam, chilled plum soup, plum butter, etc. but as I was browsing for inspiration on what to do next with the plums I came across a simple and tasty recipe from Valentina’s blog cookingontheweekends.com. I didn’t have black quinoa or mixed baby greens, as her recipe suggested, so I swapped it for pear couscous and baby spinach instead.

This salad was not only tantalizing to look at, but it was delicious and SO easy to make . The bright acidity in the dressing matched with the sweetness in the plums make this the PERFECT summer treat!

Freshly picked plums and a cup of pear couscous.

Freshly picked plums and a cup of pearl couscous.

Click here for the recipe from Valentina’s blog. Enjoy! ~Crystal

Build-Your-Own Watermelon Salad

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Aprons & Stilettos

It was a warm summer night when a group of us decided to go out to dinner after a fabulous “Wine Down Friday” of vino & music at Muscardini Cellars in Sonoma Valley, California. We headed over to Glen Ellen Inn and decided to enjoy the beautiful weather by dining on the patio. After 10 minutes of deciding which wine we were going to enjoy with dinner (2006 Gundlach Bunchu Mountain Cuvee) we ordered some appetizers to share – one of which was the inspiration to today’s post: WATERMELON SALAD. Now, I’m a big fan of watermelon salads – arugula, onions, feta. Served in a carved out empty watermelon shell and even on skewers (great for parties). But this salad was different, beautiful and SO delicious. I posted the picture from dinner on instagram and my neighbor and I were inspired to make our twist on this delicious, summer salad.

BYO Watermelon Salad

1 small watermelon (sliced into 1/2 – 1 inch rings – rind removed)
Greens of your choice: Arugula, Mâche, Spinach (we used arugula)
Cheese of your choice: Blue, Goat, Mozzarella (we used Blue)
Want to add nuts? Try Pecans, Toasted Walnuts or Almonds
Try adding additional fruits or veggies: Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Onions
Dressing: Olive Oil, Mustard Vinaigrette, Mint & Lime dressing (we simply used olive oil)
Salt & pepper to taste

Build-your-own watermelon salad is the perfect summertime treat and so easy to make. Grab the ingredients you like, place the watermelon ring on a plate and begin to build with your favorite cheese, lettuce, nuts and dressing. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. You can use as little or as much as you want. When we made the salad above, we simply used arugula, blue cheese, olive oil and sea salt.

Enjoy! ~Crystal