Stone Fruit Salad for One

Of all the elaborate dinners, lunches, breakfasts and snacks I have made throughout the years, never once have I made a real meal just for myself. I mean of course I've whipped up some scrambled eggs in the morning or thrown together a quick turkey sandwich to curb my hunger pangs, but not once have I thoughtfully gone to the supermarket, come up with a recipe and made a three course meal for my mouth only.

I've always seen cooking as something that is done for others, perhaps that's the nona in me, but I always figured, why put all that effort in just for myself? Well guess what, I was wrong and I am not afraid to admit it.

It all started at about 10:30 AM yesterday. It was my first day off after a very long, very inspiring week at work and as usual I had planned to accomplish my usual list of tasks. I have a horrible habit of planning all the "relaxing" events I "need" to do on my days off. The night before I sit in bed, Blackberry in hand jotting down notes in my calendar that go something like this: "9 AM wakeup," "10am read in the park," "12pm yoga class," "2pm pay cellphone bill" and on and on until my day off suddenly becomes a day on. As each alarm dings one by one I find that rather than subsiding my stress, my stress level grows as I become obsessed with making my free day the most productive one possible. This was a bad habit I was able to rid myself of while residing in Spain, basking in the lax European lifestyle. Less than a year back in the U.S. I have forgotten what it was like to enjoy the more tranquil things in life.

So when a friend offered to take me on an adventure, my first reaction was to say no. If I went how could I possibly accomplish all the things on my list? The laundry would continue to pile up, I would miss out on a blog post and eventually my whole world would come crumbling down until all I was left with was anxiety and a messy apartment. Boy was I wrong...well at least about the anxiety part.

After some serious deliberation I thought to myself, the old Ayesha would never miss out on an opportunity to go on an adventure. So the next morning I left all my worries behind (well not all, but some) as we drove up the windy roads of wine country. I had no idea where we were going or what we were going to do and I would like to pretend like I didn't care, but my recent state of neurosis turned the drive into a constant guessing game of who, what where.

Two and a half hours later the secret was reveled. We approached the serene grounds of Harbin, a hot spring spa that I had been dying to go to for months. We spent hours soaking in the sunlight, lounging around in the various pools and sweating out toxins in the steamy saunas. I was truly revitalized from head to toe. I couldn't even remember the last time I had been in nature, let alone enjoyed a day that was orientated around personal relaxation. After a miraculous day of true rest, I arrived back in the city awaiting a 9:15 dinner reservation at Commonwealth.

Commonwealth is a Contemporary American restaurant set in the heart of in San Francisco's Mission District, boasting a tantalizing seasonal menu and $10 donations of each tasting menu to charity (all and all my idea of perfection). Perhaps one of the city's best, I had been eagerly awaiting my first dining experience there. The wait was well worth it. My friend Erick and I dined on lamb's tongue, sea urchin and albacore crudo, amongst the many mouth watering dishes. After four courses, two glasses of wine and a glass of prosecco I was fully immersed in a state of "me". Why had I not done this sooner?

When I woke up this morning, after an eleven hour sleep may I add, I was all about some serious me time. I purposely missed the 10:45 yoga class (even though my reminder went off) and went to the 12 o'clock class instead, went to work for a brief four and a half hours, treated myself to a manicure and pedicure and then I did something I had never done before, I decided to cook myself dinner.

Aimlessly walking through Whole Foods, my very own grown-up's playground, I chose to make a dish based on one I had greatly enjoyed at Commonwealth. It was a stone fruit salad paired with quite possible the most tender Burrata cheese I had even encountered. Without a recipe in hand, yet another rare occurrence, I sized up the plums, peaches, nectarines and tomatoes until I decided on my plan of action. Half an hour later I left with a juicy plum, a blood-red pluot, a perfectly marbleized heirloom tomato, the freshest Burrata I could find along with plenty of other goodies.

Tempted to call a friend and invite them over for dinner, I resisted and successfully cooked myself a three course meal, well three courses if you count the pint of double dutch chocolate ice cream waiting for me in the freezer. The salad was terrific. A true Eden of crisp mint leaves and spring greens, tangy stone fruits and soft cheese. I followed it up with a grilled filet of Tilapia dressed in a black olive and lemon sauce, which I must say pushed all the right buttons.

So here I am glowing from yesterday's sun, perfectly manicured and happily full and I did it all for myself. Tomorrow is another day, a day that will not revolve around meeting all my needs, but one that I can at least acknowledge them. I am officially making a promise to myself at 10:37 PM on July 7th, 2011 to dedicate 24 hours a month to me, no Blackberry reminders necessary. So leave the day behind, put on your sweatpants, play some Frank Sinatra and make yourself a salad because you deserve it just as much as I do.

Stone Fruit Salad with Burrata

Serves 1

1 pulot, sliced thin, each slice cut in half

1 plum, sliced thin, each slice cut in half

1 small heirloom tomato, sliced thin, each slice cut in half

About 2 large hand-fulls of spring mix greens

3 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves picked off the steams

1/2 ball fresh Burrata

1 1/2 Tbl balsamic vinegar

2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper and salt

1. Toss the greens, mint, stone fruits and tomato together until fully mixed.

2. Combine the vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl and whisk with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Toss the salad with dressing and place on a plate or in a bowl.

4. Place the Burrata on top, sprinkling with a little added pepper.

5. Enjoy by yourself!