A Dinner Party - Strawberry Caprese

Pre-dinner party, I had the ladies over only for movie watching and book chatting. I decided to offer snacks during this time which, in retrospect may have slightly overshadowed the early dinner.  However, this particular appetizer was so delicious I am glad I made it. It has all the same flavors you love about tomato caprese with a twist!

I made this in the morning and let it sit about 30 minutes before serving. Make this for your next party!

I followed this recipe exactly and served it over baguette slices that I toasted in the oven for about 4 minutes at 350.


Strawberry Caprese Salad
makes 4-6 servings
2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup torn fresh basil, plus more for garnish
8 ounces small mozzarella pearls/balls
1 pound fresh strawberries, halved or quartered if large

In a large bowl whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, honey, garlic, salt and pepper, until the
brown sugar is dissolved. In a slow and steady stream, whisk in the oil until emulsified. Add the basil and
mozzarella, tossing to coat. Cover and chillfor 2 hours. Add the strawberries and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes; stirring occasionally. Serve over toasted baguette slices.

Printed from thegalleygourmet.net

A Dinner Party - Savory Strawberry Sauce

In preparation for my dinner party in which I wanted to incorporate strawberries and fish, I spoke with my friend Robin and she suggested that to make dinner special I mix two proteins with one sauce so that people could mix and match.  Then, she went the extra mile and found me such a recipe!

Savory Strawberry Sauce sounds a little strange. It seems like there just can't be a thing. I also don't usually make sauces for my food. But this time I moved forward because it was a good way to link the food together.

At first when I was making it I just wasn't sure the sauce was going to be any good. In the end though it was a really nice accompaniment to the pork and the salmon. Who knew salmon could even meet a sauce it liked so much?

Do yourself a favor and make this sauce. I think it would also be nice with chicken.

Adapted from here

I doubled this recipe and it was PLENTY for 12

2 lbs strawberries, sliced (don't bother taking out that white part, just cut off the tops)
2 teaspoons butter
2 T white balsamic vinegar (but I think any vinegar would work)
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (did you know it is easy to peel ginger with a spoon?)
2 t ancho chili powder
salt & pepper
1/2 C water
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 C strawberry preserves (Homemade if you have it, thanks Sarah!)

1. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, stir strawberries and butter until the butter is melted.
2. Stir in all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer
3. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
4. Remove the sauce from the heat and let sit until ready to serve. The flavors meld together the more it sits. The sauce is not very thick so don't worry if yours isn't.

Serve over pork or salmon or maybe even chicken.