burnt caramel + fruit pita with fried egg
saving some older ingredients from their fate
I’ll be honest: I don’t have a life anecdote to share today, or a long essay of opinions to write before we even get to the good stuff. We’re diving right in, right now.
This week’s entry is an honest attempt to utilize some “aging” ingredients in my fridge turned out so delicious I’ve made it twice in recent weeks. It’s also a perfect exercise in culinary creativity and recipe flexibility. Don’t like warm, juicy grapes? Try blueberries, roasted citrus slices, or a sturdy vegetable. Don’t have goat cheese on hand? Just use another creamy element: hummus, greek yogurt, sharp cheddar cheese (shredded and melted on top). This is an expandable formula much like this salad structure I shared with you earlier. It’s also a perfect formula for families with little ones: it’s easy to customize to picky eaters and can be fun to create together (much like homemade pizza).
Don’t be afraid of trying something new or different. What’s the worst that could happen? You’ll spit out any disgusting bites and maybe feel a little disappointed. The best part though is next: you get to learn from those stumbles. You’ll see how not enough variety of textures is boring for your mouth. You’ll realize the importance of salts and acids and then learn how to balance them properly. You’ll learn about yourself: your creative brain, the flavors you gravitate towards, the culinary process you develop to explore within the kitchen.
I’d love to hear any creations you come up with as you explore this in your own home. Send me a note in the chat above with ingredient combinations or recipe requests. I’m so happy you’re still here. ~L
INGREDIENTS
1 pita pocket
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
3 oz crumbled goat cheese
1 large egg
1 small handful of mixed greens1
1 small bunch of grapes
1 asian pear
2 tbsp honey
Red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Chili crunch or salsa matcha
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350* and prepare fruit for roasting. Pull grapes from stems + slice pear into small wedges. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt + pepper. Place on a silicon mat2 on top of a rimmed baking sheet + drizzle the fruit with honey. Roast for 20 minutes or until fruit is soft and honey is caramelized or almost burnt.
While fruit is roasting, heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of olive oil and grill pita until warmed through and crispy.3
Once pita is grilled, spread one side with mustard and top with goat cheese crumbles. Set aside.
Using the same small pan, fry your egg, taking care to keep the yolk soft and runny.
To serve: top the mustard-cheese pita with the roasted fruit, caramelized honey bits (scrape this off the silicon mat with a spatula!) and the fried egg. Top with chili crunch, salsa matcha, a drizzle of chili or olive oil, and serve immediately with fork and knife.
Any handful of green works here (my favorite is arugula) but whatever you use, make sure it’s properly dressed. A small drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon will do wonders to make this whole thing come to life.
I believe this silicone mat is key when you’re caramelizing something in the oven; those sugars get sticky and you’ll be able to get all those delicious bits off a mat like this one, no problem.
My tip for a perfectly-warmed pita: sprinkle or spritz the outside of the pita with a tiny amount of water + cover with lid to steam pita so it remains soft + chewy, instead of hard + crispy throughout. Sometimes I simply get my fingertips wet and smooth them around the outside of the pita. I gotta admit: a spray mist bottle works a heckuva lot better.