Salad of Prosciutto & Grilled Feijoa with Hazelnuts, Arugula, Pecorino Romano & Parsley Oil

This recipe was inspired by a dish we were served at Restaraunt II in Brisbane, Australia. The two recipes have some things in common, with a couple of significant changes in ingredients, the final recipe diverges quite a bit from what we were served, but is really quite nice in it's own right. The most important change was in the fruit. The original recipe was made with Tenthill figs, but instead I used Feijoa which is a remarkable fruit from Brazil. I was lucky enough to get to try one in the market (Whole Foods) and was suprised at the sweet floral perfume the fruit produced. The thick, white, custardlike flesh and the translucent central pulp enclosing the seeds are sweet and slightly acidic, suggesting a combination of pineapple and guava or pineapple and strawberry, with overtones of winter green or spearmint. The fruit has very small, oblong seeds that are hardly noticeable when the fruit is eaten. We ate the fruit whole, including the skin, which is slightly bitter compared to the inside, and has a distinct floral character which took this dish in a quite different direction than the original recipe that inspired it.