Georgia peaches are truly the best (there's a reason Justin Bieber sings about them). Today, I'm sharing one of my favorite summer salads, featuring grilled peaches and burrata. Freestone peaches, available from late July to early August, are ideal for grilling. The pit is easily removed, allowing you to make neat slices without tearing up the peach. This salad is perfect as a light lunch or as a side salad with dinner. I served this salad for dinner last week with grilled ribeyes; the perfect summer meal. This recipe serves 4, but is easily scalable.
Summer Peach Salad
2 large, ripe peaches, pitted and quartered
Vegetable oil, for brushing
4 ounces baby arugula
5 ounces burrata
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh basil, lightly torn
1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted
Freshly cracked black pepper
Fleur de Sel
Brush peaches on cut sides with vegetable oil. Grill on medium heat cut side down, 2 minutes each side.
To assemble, place burrata, peaches, basil, and walnuts on bed of arugula. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Cook’s Note: if you don’t have access to a grill, peaches can be cooked in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Above: this fleur de sel is so good as a finishing salt. It was delicious on the burrata. I also like sprinkling it on toast with unsalted butter.
I've mentioned this in a previous post, but I'm obsessed with iced tea. One of my favorites is iced hibiscus tea. It's pretty tart, but you could add agave syrup or lemonade to sweeten it. I drink mine unsweetened with a squeeze of lime. You could use Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger, Trader Joe's Red Refresh, or Tazo Passion.
For a half gallon of tea, add 8 tea bags to 4 cups of boiling water. Steep for 16 minutes. Pour over a pitcher of ice and refrigerate. Serve over ice with a squeeze of fresh lime.
Get the Look:
I set the table casually for lunch with striped blue and white placemats and our every day white china. I added some light blue and white hydrangeas to my grandmother's milk glass vase and placed it, the plates, and the pitcher of tea on a sisal serving tray. I arranged the salad on a large platter instead of making individual portions and had everyone serve themselves.
Thanks for reading!
- Sam
Mmmm Red Zinger… I haven’t had it in years. Not sure I knew it was Hibiscus at the time… I was on a summer detail, the worst time to be in DC … working in a hot office building on Constitition Ave. It was probably air conditioned, but I wouldn’t be my life on it. Every morning break I would head to the basement canteen for my Red Zinger tea … after it was well brewed, I poured it over the mega styrofoam cup of ice. I sipped and zinged till lunch. I dont remember much about the project… but the Red Zinger still resonates.