Weekend herb blogging #80

One of my favourite blogevents invented by Kalyn is taking place in Glenna's blog A Fridge Full of Food this week. For Weekend herb blooging #80


I decided to try out something I initially wanted to make for a German event at the Gärtnerblog but the seeds I used don't sprout. I couldn't find neither some new seeds here in Singapore, even if I've seen once some at a florist, nor could I get some "readyly-grown" cress sprouts at any oranic store. Two weeks ago I was in Germany and brought some of those seeds with me. 5 days ago I sprinkled them over a wet kitchenpaper and kept them moist. Garden cress contains iron, calcium, vitamin a and C, and folic acid. It has a peppery flavour and is related to mustard. And we love it just sprinkled over a buttered slice of bread. Today it was time to harvest them. And so I put my idea into practice and made some cress pesto. Hence

variations on garden cress

are my entry for this WHB.


Ingredients for the cress pesto:

1handfull cress sprouts
1handfull walnuts
2 Tbspwalnut oil
½ tspHimalayian salt, alternatively fleur de sel or sea salt flakes
(if you want to, I think some Pecorino will fit very well to this pesto-version)



Preparation:

For this pesto I haven't used garlic, the cress is spicy enough. Chop the sprouts and nuts together with a mezzaluna, chopping only small portions of it at one time and adding more and more of the remaining nuts and sprouts. Don't do this in a blender you will receive a different texture and a different taste. Place the mixture in a small bowl and pour just as much oil over it to cover it. Sprinkle the salt over the pesto. Set aside.



I'm sure this pesto will be delicious on a rustic bread, added to a creamy potatoe soup, as a side together with apple slices for a cheese plater with mild cheese like Fontina or Comté, over fresh cheese like Philadelphia, over a quiche with leek,over savoury pancakes .... I gone for bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) and tomatoes as a kind of Caprese.



Ingredients for the bocconcini-tomatoes:

The cress-pesto was enough for
18vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
18bocconcini


Preparation:

Wash the tomatoes, cut them in halves and hollow them out with an espresso spoon. Sit one mozzarella ball in one half, stir the pesto to combine the ingredients, pour some pesto over the cheese and sit the other tomatoe-half over it.




Ingredients for the toast-cress-butterflies:

2white toast bread slices for each person
1 tspunsalted butter for each person
1 Tbspcress sprouts for each person



Preparation:

Cut some butterflies or other shapes out of the bread, toast them and spread the butter on them. Sprinkle the sprout over the butter and press them on the butter.



Ingredients for the cress-quail eggs:

4hard-boiled quail eggs
1 Tbspcress sprouts


Preparation:

Peel half of the eggs and roll them in the cress to cover them. If you want to sprinkle a bit salt over them, but it is not necessary.


I spreared everything on skrewers and let the "variations" fly over faux grass. Even if I live in Singapore with no seasons at all I'm in a "European-spring-mood" in these days and decorated the house in this theme as I serve our dishes in fitting colours and arrangements.

We liked it very much. I hope you'll like it as well and soon I have to try my pesto-creation in a creamy potatoe soup.

Weekend Herb Blogging