It’s pretty toasty outside. Hot foods don’t sound as appetizing. A salad may be just what you need to stay cool. For this issue Chef Steve has prepared a fresh and deliciously lite Caprese Salad. Steve teaches the technique of layering called Napoleon style. By using a ring mold you can make it look as good as it tastes. The salad combined with the orange reduction sauce is a perfect compliment to a day of fun in the sun.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Napolean Melon Caprese Salad:
1 Cantaloupe
1 Honeydew
1 Watermelon
2 3oz. Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese
1 bunch of Fresh Basil
1 Orange
1 pinch  micro-greens
1 bunch Friseè

Orange Reduction:
2 cups while Balsamic Vinegar
3 cups freshly squeeze orange juice
2 cups White Granulated Sugar
1 Bay leaf
2 oz. Rough chopped Shallots

Orange Reduction Preparation
In a saucepan add orange juice & sugar. Stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a simmer, reducing it by half. (Cooking time about 20 mins.) Strain through mesh colander and place in mixing bowl. Put on an ice bath to chill.

Salad Preparation
Peel down all melons. Cut in halves and deseed. Slice into 1/8 inch thick. (Using a ring mold will give you a perfectly uniform cut.) Slice buffalo mozzarella with the equal thickness of melon. (No need to use a ring mold because of the natural shape of the mozzarella.) Stack   by alternating cuts of melon, mozzarella and Basil. This technique of layering is called Napolean style. Add overlapping orange segments and top with dressed frisee and micro-greens. Drizzle Salad & plate with orange reduction.

ABOUT THE CHEF STEVE PIAMCHUNTAR
Steve’s love for cooking mixed with his workaholic ways make him a phenomenal chef. At the young age of 28, He already has 10 years of formal experience cooking in restaurants of all genres in Sin City. That’s not including the time spent throughout his childhood working at his family’s Thai restaurant in California. Steve has been cooking at The Stirling Club inside Turnberry Place for 6+ years. In 2006, Steve and his wife Lorie started their own catering business, Cravings Catering.