“The Flavor Matrix” is a book that combined a team of IBM’s Watson with an award winning chef lab that worked for years, culminating in discovering new pairings of foods resulting in novel flavors. This is one of those: who doesn’t love figs and avocados? Ingredients:

3 dried figs – finely chopped

1 cup water

2 cups rice vinegar

1 cup arugula (or your favorite lettuce)

1 ripe avocado

2 Tbs Tuxedo sesame seeds – toasted

1 Tbs Extra virgin olive oil (we like the mild flavor of Olivares De Barahonda)

Cocoa Chile Rub

Splash lime juice

Directions:

• Simmer figs and water in small saucepan until pot looks dry, then add rice vinegar. Allow to simmer, then remove from heat to infuse for 30 min.
• Mash figs with a fork, then pass through a sieve and save the fig vinegar in a Mason jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• To prepare salad, cut avocado into wedges then sprinkle with lime juice and cover in cocoa chile rub then sesame seeds.
• Place on bed of lettuce and drizzle with fig vinegar.

Written by: Dr. Terra Caudill Photo Credit: Dr. Terra Caudill

Original Recipe: Sesame Seed and Avocado Salad with Fig Vinegar from “The Flavor Matrix” by James Briscione