Fried Green Tomato Caprese Salad

I have been on a major vacay....  so sorry to anyone who has wondered where the heck we have been for about a month!  I wish I was coming back to the blog with piles of pictures and tales of great travels, but sadly, no.... I didn't have an actual vacation; life just got a little cray up in here with visitors and animals and new jobs and more new jobs ... my little hobby had to take the back seat for a while!

But I'm back and I've got something ridiculous for you all today.  I know, I know, it's summer -- we're all trying our best to get outside and workout, eat healthy and keep that bikini body in tip top shape, while still consuming as much alcohol as possible.  This post is where SkinnyChow goes to die.  I can't help but think of my girlfriend who just started a 30 day cleanse.... I don't want to rub it in or anything but you are seriously missing out on this monstrosity!  ;)

So who doesn't love the classic Italian Caprese Salad?  Yummy vine-ripened tomatoes layered with fresh and velvety mozzarella and topped with a sprinkle of home-grown basil....drizzle with your finest olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you have a great starter to any meal....  

So I decided to destroy this delicate salad and fry it...

...in true Southern fashion

In all seriousness -- this salad eats like a meal.  In fact, just eat it as a meal.  Trust me.  Oh and also trust me when I tell you to drizzle this baby with balsamic syrup and peach jam (homemade jam if you can swing it!).  It really takes the dish to the next level with the lovely combination of salty and sweet.  Oh and as I'm typing this, I realize that I could have made this salad even better with the addition of bacon....  but there's always next time...

Fried Green Tomato Caprese Salad (makes 4 salads)

Fried Green Tomatoes:

4 large green tomatoes, sliced into 4 (1/2 inch) slices each

2 eggs

1/2 c. buttermilk

1 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. cornmeal

1/2 c. breadcrumbs

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Whisk egg and buttermilk together in a medium sized bowl.  Scoop flour onto a plate and mix cornmeal, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper on another plate.  Dip tomatoes into flour to coat.  Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture.  Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.

In large skillet, pour vegetable oil {1/2 inch of oil in the pan} and heat over medium heat.  Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan.  When tomatoes are browned, flip and fry the other side.  Drain on paper towels.

Salad and Assembly:

2 large balls fresh mozzarella, each cut into 6 slices
12 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish if desired
peach jam
balsamic syrup

To assemble salads, place one fried green tomato on each plate.  Top each tomato with one slice of mozzarella followed by one basil leaf.  Repeat this process ending with a fried green tomato, until each plate has 4 tomato slices and 3 mozzarella slices.  Garnish top of stack with basil.  Place peach jam in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 20 seconds.
Drizzle each salad with peach jam then drizzle with balsamic syrup.  Enjoy immediately.

Peach and Plum Crumble

As I’ve mentioned numerous times on the blog... I’m not a baking expert.  I probably need to suck it up and take a couple of baking classes in order to hone my skills a little bit.  However, there are some baked goods that are difficult to mess up -- and those are my go-to desserts.  These include fruit crumbles, crisps and rustic tarts with store bought pie crust.  

I love a good fruit crumble -- warm seasonal fruit with a crunchy buttery topping -- add a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and I’m in heaven.  This crumble is a spin off of a recipe I found on Pinterest -- I loved the idea of pairing peaches and plums but I wasn’t crazy about the topping on the original recipe.  It was very simple with basic ingredients of butter, brown sugar and flour -- I decided to add some texture by taking out some of the flour and adding in instant oatmeal and sliced almonds.  I loved the crunch of the almonds along with the fruit.  Delish!  

Peach and Plum Crumble 

adapted from What About Second Breakfast

1 1/2 pounds peaches, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

1/2 pound plums, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp coarse salt

12 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. instant oatmeal

1/3 c. sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Stir together peach and plum slices, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt then pour into an 8-inch square baking dish or a 10-inch pie plate.
2. Beat butter and brown sugar until combined, then add flour, oatmeal and almonds.  Gather handfuls of the mixture and squeeze, then gently break up the clump with your fingers and scatter over the filling.  You will have big and small pieces.
3. Bake 30 minutes, then cover loosely with foil.  Bake 20 more minutes until the filling is bubbling.  Cool 2 minutes before serving.