Author Notes
I am wild for Carpaccio. I order it everywhere and I just love to make it for guests. Carpaccio fits right in with my personal mantra for dinner party hosting:
Make it easy, make it beautiful, make it special, and make it ahead if you can. Today's Carpaccio is adapted from a recipe in the food blog I admire most in the world: http://zencancook.com - Trust me, Zen really can cook and his plating and culinary aesthetic are some of the best in the blogosphere. I adapted Zen's recipe to my tastes and for increased ease of preparation by using toasted walnuts, a pre-packaged salad mix of frisee and arugula. I also incorporated one of my favorite ingredients - pear flavored balsamic vinegar, making it into an easy glaze that adds an extra flavor dimension to this lovely make ahead appetizer. —Neurotic Kitchenista
Ingredients
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2
Ripe Fuyu Persimmons, peeled
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5 ounces
Pre-Packaged Frisee and Arugula Mix
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1/4 pound
Imported Prosciutto, very thinly sliced
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1/4 pound
Aged Manchego, shaved into curls with a vegetable peeler
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1/4 cup
Walnuts
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Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
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2 tablespoons
Olive Oil + extra for brushing
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Sea Salt to taste
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Black Pepper to taste
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1/2 cup
Pear Balsamic Vinegar
Directions
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Toast walnuts briefly in the toaster oven
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Set a small pot over low to medium heat and pour in Pear Balsamic Vinegar. Keep an eye on it and bring Vinegar to a gentle boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. Turn off heat.
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Meanwhile, thinly slice the persimmons. You can use a mandoline for this but a sharp knife works well too, especially if the Persimmons are super ripe.
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Set 4 to 6 slices of Persimmon on each serving plate, overlapping just slightly to form a clover shape. Brush with a bit of Olive Oil and sprinkle with Salt.
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Combine the Lettuce Mix with the Olive Oil and Lemon Juice and season with a bit of Salt and Black Pepper.
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To assemble, place one slice of Prosciutto (folded or flat) over the Persimmon. Sprinkle with Manchego Shavings and Walnuts. Place another slice of Prosciutto atop that, and again, sprinkle with Manchego and Walnuts. Add a bit more salt and pepper if you like. Finally, place some of the mixed Salad on top of each plate and sprinkle with Pear Balsamic Reduction. If not serving immediately, leave off the Balsamic Reduction until ready to serve.
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