Everywhere you look, plums, apricots, peaches and tomatoes are popping up. And there’s only so many things you can do with them … or are there? The best part about this late-summer season is that all of these stone fruits (yes, tomatoes are fruits, too!) mix together to make sweet and savory dishes that shine, like this savory stone fruit salad. The following recipe is an easy, quick and delicious way to capture all of the flavors for a fresh lunch or side dish at your next backyard barbecue or picnic dinner.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds (900g) tomatoes (a mix of small heirlooms and cherry tomatoes), halved
- 1 pound (450g) ripe stone fruits (a mix of plums, apricots, pluots, peaches and/or nectarines), sliced
- 1/4 cup (60ml) high-quality olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- A few pinches of fine-grain sea salt
- 1/3 cup (50g) toasted almonds, chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1/3 cup (16g) fresh chives, chopped
- 8 ounces (230g) ciliegine mozzarella, halved
- A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
- Zest of one lemon
- Drizzle of olive or lemon oil, for finishing
- Flaked sea salt (optional), for finishing
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177ºC) and place the oven rack in the top third of the oven. Halve (or slice) all of your tomatoes and stone fruits. Preferably, this will be a colorful mix of heirlooms, cherry tomatoes and other colorful fruits. You want all the pieces to be about the same size so use the cherry tomatoes as a guide for how small to slice them. You’re going to roast half of the fruits and tomatoes.
Toss half the tomatoes and stone fruits gently (but well) in a bowl with the olive oil, sugar and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Allow the fruits to bake, without stirring, for roughly 45–60 minutes or until they’ve shrunken a bit and started to caramelize around the edges. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, halve the mozzarella, zest the lemon, chop the chives and tear the basil.
When ready to serve, gently toss the roasted and raw fruits with a bit of olive or lemon oil and most of the almonds, chives and basil, as well as all the capers and mozzarella. Taste and season with a bit more salt if needed. Serve topped with the remaining almonds, chives, basil and flaked sea salt if using.
Recipe makes 8 servings at 3/4 cup each.
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 282; Total Fat: 17g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 18mg; Sodium: 88mg; Carbohydrate: 20g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 11g
