Prep the strawberries by cutting off the stems and slicing them in half. Next, cut a small sliver off the back of each strawberry half so that they sit up straight. Then use a small melon baller to carefully hollow out a small piece of the middle.  Place the softened mascarpone cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a medium sized mixing bowl (DO NOT add the heavy whipping cream). Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add a little olive oil to our Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread and you have the perfect dressing for a strawberry, almonds, dragon fruit and spinach salad! Yum! 🙌

Spread each toast with Bellisari’s Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread,  then top each with 1 ham slice. Top evenly with Gruyère and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Arrange toasts on prepared baking sheet and broil until cheese is toasted and bubbling, 3–4 minutes. Serve hot.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a large rectangle about double the original size. Square off edges and cut into 6 squares. (I use a pizza cutter to do this).

Wash the eggplants and cut them into ¼ inch thick slices.  Arrange the eggplant slices in a colander with a good sprinkle of coarse salt in between the layers. Put a plate on top of the eggplants then place a weight over that. Leave the eggplants in the sink for about 30 minutes, they will be less bitter and biting.