This recipe came together as two desert recipes that I'd been putting off making finally coalesced into one amazing, beautiful form. While most would think that the mint is just a garnish, it adds an incredible depth of flavor to this sweet and sometimes deceptively spicy compote paired with natural vanilla bean ice cream. It finally came to fruit-ion when a friend was having Taco Night and fried up some tortillas, which I'd been reluctant to do. I'd already made the syrup (from which I strained all the solids) for one of the deserts, so all there was left to be was to chop the fruit, put it together, and give it a little time to simmer and come together.
I wanted to using some word with "M' instead of "Pasta" but I was fresh out of ideas. Mezze Penne was what I was going to go for, but I forgot to get it today, twice. 
Lore has it that Nachos were made when a chef ran out of everything he had to make other dishes, and just threw something together for the hungry travelers that begged food of him. It's pretty much the story of how we get the most wonderful snack foods that we have today. So, spend more time running out of specific ingredients and see if you can invite a staple that will spread across the world.
I felt that my grill was getting an unfair amount of neglect, so it was time to toss something on. What better than some slim slices of Sockeye Salmon? I wanted to give it a minor Asian infusion, so it was met with a thin basting of Hoisin Sause and served over a bed of baby spring lettuces, with a touch of seseme oil. And then some asparagus was in there for good measure.
