Enjoying stone fruit au naturel has to be the best way, but the sweetness of fruit blends well with cheese, so why not try this salad? It is loosely based on a recipe from Jamie Oliver but I have adapted it so that you can obtain all ingredients at True Food.
A few interesting facts about peaches – the first two from justfunfacts.com and the third from verywellfit.com
“Until recently, it was believed that the cultivation started circa 2000 BC. Nevertheless, the recent evidence indicates that domestication occurred as early as 6000 BC in Zhejiang Province of China.”
“The Ancient Romans referred to the peach as malum persicum “Persian apple”, later becoming French pêche, hence the English “peach”.”
“One medium peach has 12 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fibre, and 11 grams of sugar. Peaches are a low-glycaemic fruit, which means it will have a minimal effect on blood sugar.”
Ingredients
• 4 ripe peaches
• 6 slices of quality ham
• 50 g goat’s cheese or other mild flavoured cheese (crumbled or finely diced)
• lettuce
• quality balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. Preheat the grill to highest setting. Place the whole peaches onto a snug-fitting baking tray and pop under the grill for 8 to 10 minutes, or until soft and blackened on top, then leave aside to cool.
Once cool, peel the skin off the peaches, then halve, discard the stones and chop the flesh into rough 2cm chunks.
2. Arrange the ham on plates and crumble over the cheese or scatter the diced cheese. Finely slice the lettuce and scatter over with the peach chunks.
3. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons balsamic with 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and drizzle over the salad. Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper before serving.