WHIPPED FETA WITH PLUM, TOMATO AND AVOCADO SALAD
Last summer, on my quick spin around the West Coast touring my then-new book, Every Day is Saturday, I had dinner with my old friends Sue Vu and Ben Mims in LA, during Ben’s first month as the new Food Editor at the Los Angeles Times. It was one of those late-night, multi-course meals that’s an extreme rarity for me these days--ever since we moved to the stix and had a second kiddo. We had a beautiful table facing a sea of youthful faces and the energy in the room was electric. It felt like magic, as did almost everything we ate that night.
Midway through the meal the waiter brought out a small plate layered with whipped feta, piled high with crispy, blistered wild mushrooms. It blew our mind. Whipped feta---we all said in unison, wide-eyed, with that why-didn’t-we-think-of-that look. We’ve all been working as recipe writers, food stylists and restaurant chefs for most of our adult lives, but this felt new to us all.
Whipped feta was all I could think about for a month after that.
That feels like a lifetime ago. These days my mind is being blown by pandemics, the fight for social justice, and other world events--but that meal came to me like a vision earlier this week when I was dreaming up how to amplify my everyday tomato salad, and yes, give our dinner that bit of restaurant magic we’re missing these days.
Whipping feta is the easiest trick (method below)—a perfect bed for showing off a tangy tangle of tart plums, juicy heirloom tomatoes and creamy California avocado, drizzled in a shallot-y vinaigrette. This is a textural treat and a flavor home run. It’s also simple enough to serve for Tuesday lunch, but special enough for a long, lazy Sunday, too.
By the way, you can also whip goat cheese and ricotta, to similar effect. Let there be no bounds to your summer cheese whipping, while the produce is peak.
RECIPE, BELOW
TOMATO, PLUM AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH WHIPPED FETA AND SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE
WHIPPED FETA
8 OUNCES FETA CHEESE, CRUMBLED
3 OUNCES HEAVY CREAM, WHIPPING CREAM OR CREAM CHEESE
PINCH CAYENNE PEPPER
TOMATO, PLUM AND AVOCADO SALAD*
8 OUNCES ORANGE AND YELLOW HEIRLOOM CHERRY TOMATOES, HALVED
4 TO 6 MEDIUM PLUMS OR WHITE PEACHES, PITTED AND CUT IN WEDGES
2 SMALL CUCUMBERS (PERSIAN OR CUCUMBER), THINLY SLICED (OPTIONAL)
1 FIRM RIPE CALIFORNIA AVOCADO, PITTED AND CUT IN SIXTHS, OR CHOPPED*
¼ CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
JUICE OF 1 LARGE LEMON
1 SMALL SHALLOT or 1/4 onion, VERY THINLY SLICED
1 GARLIC CLOVE, MINCED OR PRESSED
¾ TEASPOON FINE SEA SALT
FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
½ TO ¾ CUP TORN OR ROUGHLY CHOPPED CILANTRO, BASIL, MINT OR CHIVES
COMBINE THE FETA AND CREAM IN THE BOWL OF A FOOD PROCESSOR AND BLEND UNTIL COMPLETELY SMOOTH AND SUPER CREAMY, 4 TO 5 MINUTES, SCRAPING DOWN THE SIDES OF THE BOWL AS NEEDED. LAYER THE WHIPPED FETA ONTO A LARGE PLATTER OR DIVIDE BETWEEN FOUR PLATES.
SCATTER THE TOMATOES, PLUMS, CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO OVER THE FETA AND SEASON LIGHTLY WITH SALT AND PEPPER.
MEANWHILE, IN A MEDIUM BOWL, WHISK TOGETHER THE OLIVE OIL, LEMON JUICE, SALT, PEPPER AND PEPPER. STIR IN THE GARLIC AND SHALLOT or onion, AND LET SIT TO MELLOW, ABOUT 5 MINUTES.
* To ensure you’re enjoying domestically grown California avocados, be sure the check for California on the label!
PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES
SERVES 4
COOK’S NOTE: You could use peaches instead of the plums, though I recommend white peaches for this in that case, rather than orange-fleshed peaches--the plums tang is a deal breaker. Be generous with the tomatoes and make sure your avocados are firm but ripe-- creamy in that beautiful vegetal way, not a bit over-ripe.
To ensure you’re enjoying domestically grown California avocados, be sure the check for California on the label.
This post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission. All opinions are my own. Images belong to Sarah Copeland, and should not be pinned or posted without attribution. **
Photos + Styling // SARAH COPELAND
Stoneware // LOST QUARRY + VINTAGE