Lee Yeon Bok's Seasonal Fruit Ricotta Salad: A Wine Appetizer Recipe Completed in Just 10 Minutes

In a video released on the YouTube channel 'Lee Yeon Bok's Lucky Pouch', Chef Kim Hoon presented a recipe for 'Seasonal Fruit Ricotta Salad' that maximizes the sweet and sour flavors of seasonal fruits. Mentioning his recent achievement of winning 'Street Restaurant Fighter', Chef Kim Hoon introduced a way to complete a popular menu item from the restaurant he operates, 'Sam Sam', at home in just 10 minutes. This menu can be easily made by anyone with just ricotta cheese and a blender, making it great as a wine appetizer or a menu item for housewarming guests.

Making Ricotta Cheese Sauce Easily with a Blender

The cheese sauce, which is the key to determining the flavor of the salad, can be manufactured very quickly using a blender. According to the recipe in the video, the cheese sauce is completed by putting 500g of ricotta cheese (half of a 1kg bag), 300g of milk, 4g of salt, 28g of brown sugar, 80g of lime juice, and 20g of Grana Padano cheese into a blender and blending it smoothly. Making the cheese sauce this way at once is efficient, as it can be used about 4 to 5 more times if kept refrigerated.

How to Use Seasonal Fruits and Ingredients with Various Textures

To shorten the cooking time, it is efficient to prepare other ingredients in advance while blending the sauce. First, there is a process of roasting hazelnuts over medium-low heat. For the fruit, the video used summer seasonal tomatoes, plums, and peaches. The video explains that seasonal fruits with pits, such as plums or peaches, pair particularly well with sweet and sour flavors, and notes that they can be replaced with melon or watermelon depending on preference. The prepared fruit is sliced into bite-sized pieces.

In the plating stage, about one spoonful of stracciatella cheese is spread on the bottom first to add a creamy texture. Stracciatella cheese is the same material as the soft cheese inside burrata cheese and helps enhance the texture. On top of that, place the fruit lightly coated with olive oil and pour plenty of the pre-made ricotta cheese sauce. To this, add commercially available crackers to add a crunchy texture and sprinkle lime and lemon zest to add freshness. Finally, after placing basil and apple mint herbs on top, sprinkle the roasted hazelnuts, olive oil, and honey to complete the dish.

A Composition Suitable for Wine Appetizers and Entertaining Guests

The completed salad goes very well with wine due to its gorgeous visuals and is a good menu item to serve when inviting guests. The freshness of the seasonal fruit, the nuttiness of the cheese, and the textures of the hazelnuts and crackers harmonize to create a rich flavor. In the video, Chef Kim tasted the salad he made himself, showing the harmony between the sweet and sour taste of the fruit and the nuttiness of the cheese.