Summer Stone Fruit Salad

Peachy-Keen
I have a thing for fruit trees. When we first moved into our house 12 years ago, we planted rootstock for 14 different fruit trees. I had this bucolic vision of walking through my orchard with my children, laughing and snacking while picking the seasonal fruit we found there. Life, water issues, and bad soil said hold my beer…

The orchard failed.

Two years ago, my wonderful children gave me a peach tree for my birthday. We planted it in the now vacant chicken area of our property. It goes without saying that the previous occupants helped make the soil much better on this part of “the farm”. We had peaches the first year—though they never matured. The tree was too young to support their growth. The second year was the same. This year was bonkers.

We had at least a bushel of softball-sized sweet peaches. It was glorious. I use the past tense here because they are now all gone. Some we ate right off the tree. Some were used in Saturday morning scones. Some were shared with appreciative friends and family. Others were quartered and put in the freezer. Many of these beauties found their way into evening salads. Sometimes we grilled them, sometimes we didn’t. You be you…

One of my favorite summer salads is a recipe for my Summer Stone Fruit Salad that I posted a while ago—it is still a good one. I have since updated things a bit.

Peaches are still going strong in the marketplace. So, give this updated version a go if you find yourself with some ripe sweet peaches.

Amy’s Summer Stone Fruit Salad
Adapted from Joanne Weir’s More Cooking in Wine Country
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup fruity Gewurztraminer or Sauvignon Blanc
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon shallot, minced fine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup glazed and/or spiced pecans
2 ripe peaches, fresh or grilled…your call
1 ripe plum or pluot (optional)
1 cup pitted ripe cherries (optional)
4 cups arugula
4 cups spinach

Directions
Make the dressing
Reduce the wine over high heat until only 2 tablespoons remain (about 2 to 4 minutes). Pour the reduced wine into a small bowl, and add the vinegar, hazelnut oil, olive oil, and shallots. Whisk the ingredients together, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the salad
Just before serving, cut the fruits into 3/8 inch wedges. Toss the salad greens with the fruit, pecans, and vinaigrette.

Serve immediately.

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