Crumbled blue cheese and sweet balsamic add tang and breadth, and the perfume settles like a haze over the kitchen.
Just as the fruits are perfectly ripe, the heft of the meal fits the season, too. The watermelon slips down like a jug of sugared ice tea, heavy and smooth and just sweet enough. Basil adds zest; the tomatoes are at once hearty and delicate. Blue cheese quenches the pit of hunger left otherwise to continue wandering through the belly; balsamic dressing adds a touch of satisfying oil.
Salt enhances the zip of it all, sprinkled over the melon as a sweetener to its sunny flesh. A lone fork can finish the deal, stealing piece after piece until finally all that remains is a puddle of juice and seed, and the lingering smell. Here at the table, the next day, I can almost smell it still, the aroma of high August.
SWEET SUMMER SALAD
Serves 4-6
Cut one small yellow watermelon into bite sized chunks, removing seeds if possible. Halve 2 and 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes. Tear 1/2 cup basil leaves into halves (to release smell). Mix watermelon, tomatoes, and basil in a large bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt. Top with 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese and several tablespoons sweet balsamic dressing.
2 comments :
Elspeth, this is a lovely short piece of writing. And a fabulous-sounding recipe too. I love the simplicity of your recipes. I have to try the choc. chip cookies soon; they look heavenly.
I meant to tell you earlier, kudos to your guest blogger last week. She did a great job for you!
Keep up the excellent work. ~Hungry Mama
My guest blogger is certainly an excellent writer...not to mention a good resource in the Boston area. She keeps me posted!
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