The last time I was offered me those beautiful flowers, named ‘Amour en cage’ or ‘Love in a cage’, I thought they were really interesting to shoot. And so I did. And that flower bouquet reminded me of a fruit salad recipe with some lychees and papaya, so tasteful mixed with the shiso leaves (a well-known leaf used in Japanese cuisine with a taste between caraway and mint)…colorful, delicious and so fresh! This recipe is really easy to make and you can substitute fresh lychees by canned ones (just drain them well, they are usually soaking in water and sugar). I buy my shiso leaves at Japanese delicatessen or at the Galeries Lafayette Food Hall in Paris.Ingredients:
- 1 small size ripe papaya, peeled, seedless and diced
- 1 can lychees, drained
- the juice of 3 organic limes
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder (or the seeds for 1/2 a vanilla bean)
- 1 large shizo leaf, chopped
- 1/4 cup agave syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup organic lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
Recipe:
- In a pan, mix the water, the agave syrup, the lemon juice and lime juice as well as the chopped shizo leaf
- Let it simmer for 3 minutes, then stop the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes in the pan
- Place the papaya and lychees in a bowl
- Pour the liquid on the fruits, let it cool down and then place, covered, in the fridge for at least 2 hours
- Mix the fruit salad before serving chilled or at room temperature
Enjoy!