Fresh Peach and Little Gem Salad

Mid to late summer is peach celebration time in Colorado.  Our farmers’ markets and grocery stores hold displays of blushing fruit—Palisade Peaches —from the abundant orchards in the west of the state.  The peaches are heavy and fragrant, calling to be enjoyed at every meal.  This time of year, they’re perfect to add to a salad.  What began as a riff on Caprese salad evolved into one of our favorite summer foods.  We’ve been enjoying Fresh Peach and Little Gem Salad for dinner every chance we get.

Little Gems Shine

While any kind of salad green would work for this salad, I love the ruffly, verdant leaves of Little Gem lettuce.  A miniature cross between Romaine and Butter Leaf lettuce, Little Gems have become one of my favorites. The leaves are crunchy and have lots of nooks and crannies to grab the simple vinaigrette. 

While the lettuce is crisp, I like adding a bit more crunch with nuts or seeds.  For this salad, I chose the seed most closely aligned with summer—sunflower seeds.  I toasted the seeds over a low heat until they turned golden brown, then sprinkled them with salt.  While the seeds cooled, I prepared the ingredients for the salad.

Summery Salad

Since this is a salad with summer stars in it, I used cherry tomatoes from my back yard and a tiny Persian cucumber that I bought at the farmers’ market. After tearing the lettuce into bite-sized pieces, I scooped the seeds from the cucumber and sliced it thinly. Then I halved the tomatoes and cut up some ciliegine—fresh mozzarella balls.  Next I sliced the beautiful peach.  I left the peach peel intact to show off its lovely color.  Last, I thinly sliced a few fresh basil leaves.

I used just a bit of olive oil and white balsamic vinegar to dress the salad, then sprinkled it with finely cut fresh basil leaves and the sunflower seeds.

Once the components are ready for the salad, the preparation steps are quite simple. Gently move the salad elements to a serving bowl, add the simple vinaigrette, and toss away.  The star quality of this Fresh Peach and Little Gem Salad is the play of contrasts—crisp against soft, sweet against salty.  And the colors are gorgeous.

I like this salad because it can be assembled in 20 minutes. And it says summer through and through.

Fresh Peach and Little Gem Salad

Sunnyside Cook

Dawn Dobie

A great summer salad featuring fresh peach slices and crispy Little Gem lettuce

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• ½ teaspoon neutral vegetable oil --such as grapeseed or canola
• salt
• 2-3 cups Little Gem lettuce leaves (or your favorite salad green) torn into bite-size pieces
• 10 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• ½ cup diced fresh mozzarella
• 1 fresh peach cut in ¼-inch slices
• ½ cup thin cucumber slices --scoop out the seeds before slicing if you wish
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Warm ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil in a small skillet and add the sunflower seeds. Cook over a low fire for about 5 minutes, until the seeds smell toasted and have become more golden in color. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the seeds to a small bowl. Season the seeds with ¼ teaspoon salt and stir. Allow the seeds to cool.
• Right before serving arrange the lettuce leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, peach slices, and mozzarella in a large shallow bowl. Sprinkle the basil leaf pieces over the salad evenly.
• Season the salad with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Pour the olive oil over the salad and gently toss. Pour the white balsamic vinegar over the salad and toss. Taste to see if more salt, pepper, or vinegar is needed.
• Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds and serve.

Notes

Can easily be doubled or tripled.