I don’t know if I would really call this dish a “recipe”. No need for measuring cups, measuring spoons, tons of ingredients, or chopping. I cannot tell you how many times I have thrown some fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, and some basil together to enhance a meal. A little good olive oil, some balsamic, fresh ground pepper, and coarse salt creates a fresh, tasty, savory, and sweet dish.

Sometimes I will make a bruschetta and add a piece of burrata cheese. My motto – you can’t go wrong with anything that includes burrata. Even without the burrata, there is something special about this combination.

When I read that this weeks dish for French Fridays with Dorie was a salad that included a fruit, I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed. Generally, I don’t really like fruit in my salad. I can’t get into watermelon with my lettuce and PLEASE, hold the mandarin oranges in my chinese chicken salad.

With that said, I do like my strawberries bathed in balsamic and a little organic cane sugar. Pour these over my homemade waffles. No need for syrup, the strawberries get a bit “wet” and the sugar makes a great, natural syrup. But, there is no lettuce, green leafy vegetable in sight. That’s the way I like it.

So, in leu of a tradtional salad, I skewered the fruit, tomatoes, and cheese. Drizzled a bit of really good olive oil and some balsamic and actually didn’t mind eating my fruit before my main course.

Susan Salzman writes The Urban Baker blog to explore her dedication to good food in the hope of adding beauty to the lives of her family and friends.