5.11.2011

Caprese Impostor Salad

"Fruit Salad, Yummy, Yummy" - The Wiggles

If you aren't familiar with this viral tune, you must download the song sung by the famous children's band from down under Australia.  And please listen to at least half of the song before reading further. 

You might find yourself singing it while waiting for your morning coffee at Starbucks or while you are in a department meeting.  You never know when it will sneak up on you.  I find it best to scream the lyrics of this song when you and your significant other are arguing and you just want to be done fighting and you don't care who's right or wrong anymore. 
"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DO [insert responsibility of choice] INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR ME TO ASK YOU???"
"FRUIT SALAD YUMMY YUMMY!"
See?  This aussie tune can be the solution for many things.  Australian anything is a one-way direct flight to coolness.  Recently I met Aussie Sarah Henry of Lettuce Eat Kale who is one energetic spunky sassy talented lady...I felt like I have known her for years, because just after 24 hours of meeting each other, words like "flatulence" and "pellets" were part of our banter...like 12 year old boys.  I'm going to start a joint blog with her called "Lettuce Be Juvenile".  Then there's Curtis Stone, the take-home chef who finds women in the supermarket and helps them cook a meal at their home.  The season didn't work out too well because his dangerously good looks posed a major safety hazard in the kitchen.  If he spotted me at the supermarket, I would run in the opposite direction, because I'm probably wearing my gym clothes and my hair is demonstrating the powers of an electrical socket.  And finally, there's the Wiggles...who must have been the inspiration for the recent Fruit of the Loom underwear label ad campaigns: Grown men enveloped in fruit costumes, singing

After all of this fruit salad talk, you can't help but be inspired!  I created a very simple tropical fruit salad imitating the traditional Italian Caprese salad.  In place of tomato, mozzarella, and basil, I combined sliced strawberry, flesh of young coconut, and sliced kiwi, respectively.  I had to think very hard about what would be the mozzarella understudy.  There are few white colored fruits, but flesh of coconut works well visually and texturally.  Lychee fruits would be a good substitute also, but it won't lay as flat.  This would make a wonderful snack and a light satisfying dessert.  I might recommend serving it with a modest scoop of Lemon-Thyme Sorbet from The Cilantropist!

This dish says a lot without a lot of work behind it.  You know that guy at the office that talks big in the department meeting, wowing management with 3-syllable words, but in actuality he does didley squat and just spends the day hanging out at everyone else's cubicle? 

Yeah, that's what this dish is...an Impostor. 

The challenge is actually opening the young coconut - it's about as easy as removing a ship from a bottle.
* This post is dedicated to my $6 Ikea end table, who was sacrificed in this project. Rest in pieces.*

12 comments:

  1. You are too funny! I really enjoyed reading your post - it was like a fresh morsel bursting with flavors that made the greatest finish to my night. And I know the Wiggles tune, even though my girls are well passed them (thankfully, they still love to listen to good, ol' tunes). Will my husband freak out when I apply your singing advice to our arguments! Cannot wait:)

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  2. NICE...simple and looks gorgeous! The Lemon-Thyme Sorbet looks good too! Thanks

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  3. AnonymousMay 12, 2011

    Looks good and reads funny. Like it. Keep it up.

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  4. Oh this dish screams summer and is making my mouth water!

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  5. AnonymousMay 12, 2011

    Again, you crack me up. How do you crack me up still even though I've known you for 35 years? I'm really trying to figure out where the humor genes came from.....

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  6. PR - Thank you! try it at home!
    Lana - Let me know how the line goes when you get in an argument
    Amit- thanks!
    Anonymous - thank you for stopping by and submitting a comment
    Roshni - it really is delish - pls try it!
    shefy - glad i can entertain you...don't think for a second it came from dad. well, maybe a little...

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  7. You are too kind -- and too funny. Aussies are known for their humor (juvenile and otherwise). I just spent two days with two peeps from the homeland, including my crazy funny bestie from school days, who kept singing this line from the Simpsons "You don't make friends with salad."

    Maybe you had to be there. Maybe it was the altitude (we were hiking up in Yosemite). But the girl made me giggle. And, of course, we ate our greens (and fruit too).

    She'd love this Caprese. So would my 12-year-old son. And think of all the pellet problems it would fix?

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  8. Hee hee! Thanks for the giggle, and I love your creative caprese! You rock, rabbit!

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  9. I love this idea -- beautiful and looks delicious!

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  10. Aw sorry to hear about your table but this is a really cute idea and looks very delish!

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  11. sarah - thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
    Lentil - (i have to call you that after your introduction at camp) good to see you here! thanks for commenting!
    Valentina - thanks Valentina! I see you on tastespotting! You didn't need photo tips! :)
    Xiaolu - you are too kind - thanks for commenting. I was just telling my friend seema about your macarons!

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