You Should Try Adding Roasted Fruit To Your Salads
A salad is so much more than a bed of greens with veggies on top. It's a culmination of brightness, colors, contrast, and creativity that highlights myriad produce options. And this definitely goes beyond the traditional Caesar or Cobb salads that many of us are used to. In Russia, for instance, Olivier salad reigns supreme with its creamy combination of mustard and mayonnaise as the dressing, per Erudus. This coats the likes of eggs, onions, apples, potatoes, and chicken. Or, in Peru, natives love to dine on a plate of Solterito, which showcases fava beans, corn, coriander, and rocoto chili peppers, via Times of India.
These types of salads are typically associated with savory flavors, though salads can also be sweet, especially with the ever-popular fruit salad. Right about now, you're probably picturing a giant bowl of chopped fruit. Though much like savory salads, these look quite different around the world. Ljubljana, Slovenia, offers its watermelon and feta salad, while Thailand is proud of its som tam, which is code for papaya salad, as seen on 2FoodTrippers. The point is that it's not uncommon to see such sweet and savory ingredients paired together for a refined twist on a salad.
But here's a suggestion for something you don't often see in everyday salads: Roasted fruit.
Enhanced fruity flavors
Why bother going through the trouble of roasting fruit anyhow? Isn't it way easier to just toss them in a salad and call it a day? The Washington Post begs to differ. The outlet argues that roasting changes the fruit's textures and flavor profiles offering a depth, warmth, and boost of juiciness that not only elevates the fruit but the salad as a whole.
You can also roast the fruit with honey, ginger, and balsamic vinegar, which aids in caramelized flavors. For reference, this non-enzymatic browning reaction is when various sugars, like sucrose, glucose, and fructose, start to disintegrate under high temperatures, as explained by the Science of Cooking. This may result in nutty, butter-like, and toasted notes depending on the caramelized compound in question via Science Notes.
So how can you use your newfound roasted fruit findings in a salad? Well, for starters, you can start with one of your favorite salads and try swapping some of the fruits for their roasted counterparts. Tomatoes are a good place to start, and yes, tomatoes are a fruit, according to Healthline. Or, take notes from Jamie Oliver and pair roasted fruits with proteins, like the chef's roast peach and Parma ham salad. You could also roast a big batch of fruit, such as peaches, black plums, and grapes, together and mix them with nuts, cheese, and a mild dressing, per Marc J. Sievers.