Appetizer / July 18, 2022

Jalapeno Cherry Apple Salsa

Goodbye tomatoes and hello to a new star-cherries! This salsa balances a great sweet and spicy combination, held together with the tartness of the apple, perfect by itself or as a garnish for grilled meats!

Two to Tango. I love cherries. Absolutely love them, especially fresh from the market. Put a huge bowl of these in front of me on a warm day-game over. But much beyond that, when thinking of how to eat them, my mind goes to pie or jam. Cherries are not a food I typically think to cook savory dishes with, so I was very excited to have this as an ingredient challenge! When trying to balance a sweet food into a savory recipe, my mind immediately goes to opposite profiles to create that balance. While jalapenos are iconic to traditional salsa, combined with the cherries, these took on a unique flavor that really worked together well. Freshly made, this had more of a consistency of a pico de gallo with each ingredient standing out a bit. I saved some for the next day and found the cherries really absorbed some of the jalapeno, making for more of a combined condiment and true salsa vibe. Both delicious!

The matchmaker. Just combining cherries and jalapenos, while making for fun flavors, was not a substantial salsa and I found it needed a binding element. At the mercy of my pantry and not wanting to introduce too much of a competing flavor, I pulled out an apple and crossed my fingers. What I didn’t expect was how absorbent the apple would be! Not only does the apple bring its own sweet and tart flavor to add and tame the other ingredients, it also worked to mix all of the ingredients together in a really nice, uniformed dish. The longer this sat the better it became, and while I ate this as a dip (let’s be honest, practically devoured with a spoon), if there was a little charred or smoked meat, this would make a really great topping!

This recipe was from the Tour of the Markets challenge, where I use seasonal ingredients in a new and unique way. If you haven’t been following, catch up on the market tours here!

Looking for other ways to use cherries? Try out this!

Caramelized Onion and Cherry Bruschetta

It’s always fun to play with ingredients in ways I never have, and I love hearing feedback, suggestions, and overall thoughts. Please share comments below, and always feel free to share with others!

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