White Peach & Heirloom Tomato Salad
LABOR DAY WEEKEND is a must for this because it is all a summer salad should be! And while you might think mixing peaches with tomatoes an oddity, keep in mind stone fruit is incredibly versatile. Use them sweet or savory — hot or cold — just use them quickly. Summer is quickly fading.
White peaches have a short growing season in my region. When they do become available they sell quickly and are usually not that expensive. This is a good news/bad news situation: they are affordable but not around for long. You or your kids may have never heard of a white peach, which presents a great opportunity to introduce your family to a new fruit. White-fleshed fruit has been cultivated for thousands of years. Did you know the peach originates from China? In recent years, White Peaches have become more commercially viable so farmers are growing more.
They have a whitish or champagne colored flesh, which makes them visually very interesting. However, it is not just their novel color that makes them so appealing. This is a luscious and subtle fruit. They are a delicate fruit; less tart with a notable floral taste absent in the standard yellow peaches. (This is because the acidity level is lower in white-fleshed fruit.) Peaches rate very, very high on the nutritional chart, better than a lot of fruits. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber and low in carbs and calories. In reality you can use either white or yellow peaches in most recipes because they interchangeable, especially if you are cooking them. The case for using white comes forth when you need more subtly in flavor and visual appeal. This salad would not work with yellow peaches. I have found that here in New England, unless I buy local tree ripened peaches, the yellow ones are flavorless when eaten raw, so I opt for white whenever possible. These have not yet disappointed me.
As there are few ingredients in this very simple salad you will want to use the best and freshest you can find. It is also imperative to use a really good tomato not some grown under a sun lamp in a hyperbolic chamber. A get vine ripened heirloom variety.
Go to the farm stand starting in late July to mid September and pick up the ingredients and with your kids then rush home and eat some peaches and make this salad!
Ingredients:
- 2-3 White peaches, ripe and sliced into sections
- 1 Large Heirloom Tomato (or 2 small ones)
- Feta Cheese
- Fresh basil, torn
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper (to taste)
Again this is another salad that you really make by eye, based on your appetite, how many people you are feeding or if it’s lunch or a side dish and/or served with other sides.
Procedure:
- Slice the peaches and disregard the pit.
- Slice the tomato and arrange on a plate or platter with the peaches.
- Sprinkle the feta cheese over top and drizzle with Olive oil. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper to taste, you won’t need much at all. Tear the basil leaves and sprinkle over the top.
- If you haven’t already, let the Feta come to room temperate before serving. This will the give the ingredients a chance to ‘blossom’ and the cheese will be softer and much tastier.
