This Cucumber Salad Wins the Trifecta of Being Beautiful, Easy and a Little Kooky

I was recently in LA doing some book promo for Bring It! and every kept telling me to go to Kismet. So we went early enough where we could take my son (and...to be honest... when they would let us in without making a reservation weeks in advance). The style and service was very LA - interpret that how you will - but I was really delighted by a lot of the fun and ease of a lot of the dishes. 

One dish in particular was a cucumber and orange salad sitting on a little bed of labneh with a lot of surrounding spices. It struck me as such a cool presentation for a salad - strips of cucumber and then leaving the dressing as part of the image, rather than tossed together or drizzled on top.

I got home and decided to make a slightly more home-cook friendly version using a fruit that is coming back into season - grapes! And I also figured that I would char them because why not and I love my broiler. 

So so easy and a little weird looking for anyone who wants something a bit more visually interesting than a typical salad. 

Cucumber Salad with Charred Grapes 

Serves 2-4

Ingredients
1 cup seedless grapes
6 small seedless cucumbers
2 tablespoons plain or greek yogurt
Juice of half a lemon, divided
1 teaspoon sumac
Dash of salt

Turn on your oven's broiler. Place the grapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If the grapes are large you can cut them in half, otherwise leave them whole. Put them in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes or until they have begun to char. When done, remove and allow to cool.

Peel the cucumbers with a peeler into long strips. You can discard the first peel that only has the exterior. On a plate or in a shallow bowl, spread the greek yogurt across the bottom. Pour about half of the lemon juice on top. Arrange the cucumbers nicely onto top of the yogurt and then add the grapes on top. Squeeze the rest of the lemon. Top with the sumac and a dash of salt.