How to Get Your Man To Love You More

"Lunch Is Ready" - don't you just love the sound of that? My husband hears it every day since he works from home via the internet. He also hears the call to the table at dinner time. Lucky guy. 

It has been a L-O-N-G time since I shared a recipe with you, so I thought I would show you how to make what we had for lunch the other day.

We had an heirloom tomato and Mozzarella di Bufala torte with a watermelon, cucumber, basil, & mint salsa, a few drips of a balsamic vinegar and honey reduction was added as well. This makes enough for 4 people. Here goes:

For the salsa, place in a bowl the following:

- a chiffonade of @ 15 spearmint leaves and 10 basil leaves

- dice half of an english cucumber (don't peel the cucumber)

- dice 1 cup of watermelon. dice it small, same size as the cucumber

To the bowl above you are going to add my favorite combination for a salsa dressing that has fruit in it. In other words this works great with mango, or pineapple, etc.

Mix in a 1 cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl the ingredients for this salsa dressing:

- 1 finely chopped shallot

- 1 Tblsp. rice vinegar

- 1 Tblsp. lime juice

- 1 tsp. honey

- 1/2 tsp. finely chopped garlic

- 2 Tblsp. good quality olive oil

mix those ingredients together and let them sit for a couple of minutes before you add it to the chopped cucumber mixture.

Next:

take a small frying pan, add  8 Tblsp. balsamic vinegar and 1 Tblsp. honey ( I don't measure this, but it is roughly an 8:1 ratio of balsamic vinegar to honey) and get it nice and hot on high heat. Let it bubble and reduce to bring out the sweetness in the vinegar. It should take no more than a couple of minutes. If you go for too long, it will caramelize into a thick goo that, although yummy, will be difficult to spoon and drip over the plate.

 

OK, now you get to play chef like they do on TV.

- take slices of heirloom tomato ( you need 2 ripe tomatoes)  and slices of mozzarella di bufula and layer them in a torte-like fashion the way I did in the photo, above.

- spoon the salsa mixture over the top and on the sides.

- now drizzle the balsamic vinegar and honey reduction over the torte, the salsa, and the plate, in a few key spots, just enough to insure that every few bites you might get a burst of that flavor. The key in the whole dish is balance. Don't let the flavors, especially the mint, overwhelm the your tongue. A little bit of this and a little bit of that should be in every bite, with the vinegar reduction getting in on the action a little less often.

So there. This is my method to getting Greg to love me more. I think it works pretty well. There are a few guys (that never comment) that read my blog via Facebook. Guys: I think this can work wonders on your special girl, too.

Let me know if it works for you.

Carolina

Comments

[Elizabeth Mackey]

Forget the other three people, that would be enough for me :) I love the idea of the honey balsamic dressing. We have been making something similar, with the beautiful tomatoes that Caitlin's boyfriend brings from his house.

The photography is magazine worthy too :)

[Melissa P]

Oh good lord! That is making me drool all over the keyboard. Those heirloom tomatoes--to die for! Well, I know what to request for lunch at your house.

[Eva]

This looks and sounds delicious, I will try it some time, although I don't think I've ever seen heirloom tomatoes around here. Any suggestions for a substitute? Regular old tomatoes could be a bit small, I guess ...

[Cindy Lane]

And the girl can cook too! Hungry hungry hungry here now. I wouldn't share this with anyone, let alone a man! More for me!

[The Muse of The Day]

Hi Eva - if you can't find those super tasty heirloom tomatoes, buy the best tomatoes you can find. At home slice them, sprinkle them with a little salt and a Tblsp. or so of the best olive oil you have (I like to use a basil infused olive oil), and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes or so to try and bring the flavor out of the tomato before you assemble the stack. I love this recipe, I think you will to. Carolina

[Alicia]

This looks so yummy, I'm going to give it a try sometime. You have a lucky hubby.

I have finished my training for work which involved getting up at 4:00 in the morning and doing a lot of driving. By the time I got home and finished cooking and laundry etc, I was pooped! I'm sure you know how that goes! Now fall little league and cross country are finished so I can squeeze in a little time to look at blogs and work on some projects of my own again. It is exciting to be back in blog world again, I have missed you!!

[do you mind if i knit]

A dish of art, that should be called, what a beautiful piece Carolina, and it looks mouthwatering. Beautiful, and thank you for the recipe! Vanessa xxx