Sweet Peach and Tomato Salad

Slices of sweet peaches and tomato dressed with a Fresh Peach Vinaigrette make this salad stunning. Not only is this salad recipe simple to make, it is absolutely delicious!

I cannot rave enough about this salad. The combination of sweet peaches balances with the tomatoes acidity, creating its own umami. But the flavor explosion intensifies when dressed with this Fresh Peach Vinaigrette. Not only is this dressing is simple to make, it’s the perfect way to use up that peach that became bruised on the way home.

This is MY FAVORITE summer salad. During the summer, the last thing any of us want to do is spend extra time at the stove. As the only talent this salad requires is slicing, it makes planning a family gathering or barbecue care free. Your guests will ooh and ahh when this dish is set on the table. And be prepared for this salad to be devoured because it tastes as delicious as it looks!

A Simple Salad of Sweet Peach and Tomato

What could possibly be easier. Simply slice a few tomatoes and peaches and arrange them on a platter. Next, sprinkle with a pinch of both salt and black pepper. To finish, drizzle with a tablespoon of dressing and garnish with fresh greens. Here I have used basil chiffonade (cut into thin ribbons). But this salad lends itself to a variety of garnishing greens. Consider garnishing with baby arugula, micro greens, cilantro, or parsley.

How to select a peach

Here are a few simple things to keep in mind, when selecting a peach. First of all, I look for peaches that are free of bruise marks, blemishes and are not green around the stem. Color is important on a peach. A peach with green at the stem area, may be underdeveloped. Peaches should be a deep yellow to orange color near the stem. This is the true color of the peach. The red color on a peach is actually blushing caused by exposure to the sun.

Next, smell the peach. If a peach does not smell good, chances are it is less than flavorful. Peaches should emit a sweet fragrance. A peach should smell like you want it to taste. Additionally, a peach should feel heavy in weight for its’ size.

The final step is to determine if the peach is ripe. Do not push or squeeze hard on a peach. This will bruise the fruit resulting in a brown spot. Gently palm the fruit and give a very gentle squeeze. If it is rock hard, it needs to ripen. A ripe peach will have a little give. And an overripe peach will feel very soft. Another way to check for ripeness is to give a gentle touch at the stem area. If this has a gentle give, the peach is ready to eat.

Cutting the peach

Actually, you can cut the peach into slices. And you should do what you are most comfortable with. However if you want full round slices as depicted above, follow these simple tips.

• Using a paring knife, cut the peach. I prefer to follow the natural dip of the peach. It almost appears like the peach has a natural seam line, from the stem tip around to the bottom of the peach and back up the opposing side to the stem tip.
• Next, I gently palm the peach with a cut half in each hand.
• Gently rotate the two halves away from each other, twisting the peach on its pit. The two halves will come apart. (This step will be difficult if the peach is over-ripe.)
• One half will pull away clean with no pit. The other half will still have the pit intact.
• Using a paring knife, cut and lift the pit away from the flesh. Now there are two clean halves which can easily be sliced with a chef’s knife.
• Start at the cut end making slices slightly thicker than an 1/8th of an inch.

Weight Watchers and Waist Watchers

A serving of 1/2 peach and 1/2 tomato with dressing is Zero (0) WW Smart Points or 59 calories.

Buon Appetito!