[00:02] foodwishes.com with how to make whipped bara and three perfect summer appetizers. That's right. I'm going to share a technique that's perfect when it's just too hot to cook and we don't want to
[00:16] spend too much time in the kitchen. And by the way, please stop saying it's not the heat, it's the humidity. That is not helping. So with that, let's go ahead and get started with the star of the show, some beautiful balls of bara,
[00:30] which if you're not familiar with, is basically a thin skin of mozzarella stretched around an incredibly delicious creamy soft cheese called strautella. And while it's delicious as is, it's even more incredible whipped up and used
[00:43] as a spread. And to do that, we will add four 4 oz balls into a blender cup. And then to that, we'll add a nice big pinch of salt. A small splash of whole milk just to lighten it up a little bit. And then last but not least, a generous
[00:57] splash of olive oil. And believe it or not, that's it. And we will take our stick blender and we will whip this up until it's very smooth and light and fluffy. And yes, you can whip this up even smoother and lighter in a regular
[01:09] blender, but the difference is nominal. And why clean a blender if you don't have to? Oh, and the longer I've been making this, the less ingredients I've been putting in. So, if you're thinking you want to add some garlic or herbs or
[01:22] hot pepper, don't do it. Since all those things are going to be better applied over the top, and that's it. Once our mixture is whipped up light and fluffy like this, we will simply cover it and pop it in the fridge. And we'll move on
[01:35] to the base of our perfect summer appetizers, which is going to be some I'm going to show you all three versions, but I'm going to start with my favorite one, which we're going to do in a pan over mediumigh heat. And after
[01:49] we've drizzled both sides generously with olive oil, we will cook that for a few minutes on both sides until it's beautifully browned and starts to get crispy. But we do not want this bread to dry out and get crumbly, which is why
[02:02] we're using mediumigh heat so that we relatively quickly get a nice crust on the outside before the inside totally dries out. Okay, we're not making croutons or crustini. We are simply toasting the bread in a pan. And once
[02:16] that's looking fairly amazing, we'll go ahead and pull it out and we'll let that cool down on a plate before we use it. So that is method one. And we'll move on to method two, which is simply to do the bread in a toaster, which is going to
[02:30] give us something relatively close. If that is, as soon as it comes out of the toaster, while it's still hot, we drizzle it generously with olive oil. good in my opinion as the pan fried version, it is very fast and easy to do
[02:45] and really does work fine. Oh, and I will be showing you the third version later, which is going to be doing it on the grill. But anyway, once our toast is set, I'm going to move on to prep the first appetizer, which is going to be a
[02:57] peach and basil. And this peach was very sweet, but also very firm. So when I went to slice out the first wedge, as I was trying to pry it out, it shot across the room. So, I had to pick it up and wash it off and have a little chef's
[03:10] snack. And then I went back to slicing. And firm or soft, the first one's always the hardest since once you have a little space after you make your cut around the pit, those slices will pop off relatively easily. And no, do not peel
[03:24] the peach, you need the fiber, allegedly. And once our peaches are done, we'll move on to shifod some basil, which as you know is the only approved way to cut basil. And it's done very simply by piling up about five or
[03:38] six leaves and then rolling them nice and tight and then slicing across into ribbons. And please use a sharp knife for this as a dull knife will crush the leaves and the edges will turn black. And that's
[03:51] it. Our basil's ready to use on both our peach appetizer as well as our tomato version. Speaking of which, we're going to finish that one with a balsamic drizzle, which we make by reducing some balsamic vinegar over mediumigh heat
[04:06] until it's boiled down by about half. And once it's looking a little something like this, we'll transfer it into a bowl. And even though it looks a little thin right now, once it cools, it'll thicken up to something closer to like a
[04:18] runny honey, as you will see very shortly. done, we can move on to the first perfect summer appetizer, which starts bread with a generous amount of our whipped bara. And yes, I switched to a
[04:34] smaller spoon for better control, which was absolutely unnecessary. But anyway, once that's applied, we will scatter some of our basil chiffon over the top. three slices of our fresh peach, depending on the size. And don't worry,
[04:50] version later when we do the grilled bread. But anyway, once that's been peached, we will apply a few drops of olive oil over the top of the fruit just to shine it up and provide a little more richness. And it's also going to give
[05:03] our last addition something to grab onto, which is going to be a little sprinkling of flaky sea salt. And I think that is looking absolutely glorious. Except the colors aren't really popping on this wooden board. So,
[05:15] I'm going to transfer that onto a plate for the eating shots. And that, my friends, was just a perfect bite of food. Right. Somehow that whipped bara is rich and decadent, but also light and refreshing at the same time. It just
[05:28] pairs perfectly with that sweet fruit and that fragrant basil with everything being punched up with that little sprinkling of salt. So, that really was fantastic. And I could have ate a few more, but I have to move on to perfect
[05:41] summer appetizer number two, which is going to be some sliced fresh tomato on our whip bara. And I think the best choice is some sliced toy box cherry tomatoes like this, which are always beautiful and probably your sweetest
[05:53] choice. Okay, if it is peak tomato season, of course, any sliced or diced tomato will do, but you can't go wrong with these. And once those are on, we'll apply some fresh basil, which you do not need to fuss with. And I know that, but
[06:08] I still always fuss. And that's it. We'll finish up with a generous pinch of sea salt. And then last but not least, our balsamic drizzle, which now that it's at room temp, has thickened up nicely. And as perfect as the peach
[06:22] version was, this one really was every bit as good, which was the least surprising thing ever. Since fresh sweet tomatoes and bara are a match made in heaven. And if you've never enjoyed a reduced balsamic vinegar, this would be
[06:35] the best way to experience it for the first time. And at this point, we'll move on to our third perfect summer appetizer, which is going to be tor puto and fig. And we'll apply a generous amount of those beautiful pink ribbons
[06:48] to the top, making sure we leave a few nooks and crannies in which to drizzle our fig jam. All right, if you luck out and it's fig season, you could also use those, of course. But the fig jam is available all year, and it really does
[07:02] work beautifully here. And then we'll finish this one very, very simply with a generous application of freshly ground black pepper. And that's it. Our third version, which I consider sort of a savory dessert, was ready to enjoy. And
[07:16] if you've never had fried bread, whipped bara, puto, fig jam, and freshly ground black pepper together, you do not know what you're missing. I could literally have eaten about six of those. And no, I'm not going to pick out a favorite
[07:29] since all three tied for best ever. And I know you're going to love them all, since it's summer and you might be grilling, you might want to try a version where you grill your peaches first, right? Not too black, just nicely
[07:44] caramelized on the edges with a little bit of charring here and there. Oh, and if figs are in season, you could do the same thing and then slice those up and use them instead of the jam. And then obviously, we might as well grill the
[07:56] bread also, which really is probably the best way. But of course, this is the most dangerous method, and you really do have to pay attention and keep that bread moving around and flip it early and often so it doesn't overchar.
[08:09] you get a little bit of char on the edges. Otherwise, what's the point? Which reminds me, I did moisten the bread a little bit with a few drops of olive oil on each side, which is going to help it brown up and give it a nice
[08:22] color. And that's it. I'm going to finish up by doing one more of the peach version. This time using the grilled bread and peaches. And by the way, all interchangeable. Okay, if you want a little bit of basil
[08:35] on your puto, go ahead. Or maybe you want to give this one a drizzle of balsamic. So definitely feel free to play around and experiment. I mean, you are after all the Madonna of what to put on. But whether you freestyle or not,
[08:50] how to make whipped bara is a technique everybody has to know. And I really do everybody has to know. And I really do hope you give it a try soon. So, please ingredient amounts, a printable written recipe, and much more info as usual.
[09:05] And as always in joy. Boy.