Stone Fruit finale

This is the fifth and final post of “Stone Fruit” Week.

How cute are those cookie letters!?! I found them at Trader Joe’s and could not resist.

This is the perfect recipe to finish the week on. It is colorful, fruity, a little decadent, and so wonderfully summery!

I strolled through Trader Joe’s for inspiration. I had the fruit and prosciutto at home and knew those would be part of whatever dish I came up with. Then I spotted the burrata and the rest of it quickly fell into place.

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and fresh cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a luscious glorious creamy texture. The name “burrata” means “buttered” in Italian.

One component that is not essential, but really puts this salad over the top is Vanilla Bean Olive Oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill. The Mill is having a summer special right now, buy 2 – get 1 free. I don’t know how long it lasts, so if you’re interested – act quickly. If not, high-quality fruity olive oil will work just fine for this recipe.

Grilled Stone Fruit Bread Salad with Vanilla-Bean Olive Oil, Burrata, and Prosciutto

3 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
2 ripe plums, halved and pitted
2 ripe apricots, halved and pitted
Vanilla Bean Olive Oil or a high-quality fruity olive oil
Three 1/2-inch thick sourdough bread slices, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups arugula
8 slices prosciutto, rolled slightly
12 fresh basil leaves
8-ounce package of burrata cheese
Balsamic vinegar

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.

Brush the peach, plum, and apricot halves lightly with olive oil and grill over medium-high heat until dark grill marks form. Remove from grill pan with a spatula and transfer to a plate, set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and toss the bread to coat. Cook until lightly toasted. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place the arugula leaves on a large platter. Lay the stone fruit halves, grill-marked sides up, on top.

Transfer the juices that have accumulated on the plate that held the fruit to a small bowl.

Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and set dressing aside.

Tuck the toasted bread cubes, prosciutto rolls, and basil leaves strategically among the fruit on the platter.

Carefully slice the burrata balls in your hand, over the platter, so that any drippings fall onto the salad. Distribute the cheese slices evenly around the platter.

Drizzle the fruit drippings-olive oil dressing over the salad. Then drizzle lightly with the balsamic vinegar.

Season the entire dish with salt and pepper.

Serves 6