When you’re in a situation where you just NEED garlic breath, this Peach Caprese Crostini Salad with Buratta is the answer. Okay, who really needs garlic breath, but it’s worth it when you eat this salad. Almost all foods with garlic are worth it, but this one especially. It’s been a lunch/dinner savior to me when my kitchen is 98 degrees and rising.
The cure to this heat has been a few simple things. La Croix when I’m on my third shirt of the day because I’ve sweat through all the cotton. Ice cream for very dire situations and when I can’t breathe. See: Oregon is on fire. A circa 1981 air conditioner that is set up right behind my side of the bed and is somehow still kicking, yet our 6-year-old car just died. #gofigure. Cold salads filled with fresh fruit when I’m about to cry because I haven’t made a cake in what seems like FOREVER.
Cold salads are pretty much the only thing on our menu lately. It’s hot in a very weird, eerie sort of way. Isn’t September supposed to be when the air starts to shift and stiffen into cooler nights? It doesn’t help that, as said before, our forests are on fire. This is leaving a crumb coat of fog in the air that is preventing the sun from shining and the lungs from inhaling. It’s all a very sad situation. But, I have nothing but the best of confidence in the fire fighters here, doing their best to save historic landmarks.
Some cool things have happened to me lately. While at work on Tuesday, I experienced zero ads on my Pandora station. This did turn out to be a fluke since Wednesday made up for it in full. However, I had a Tuesday without someone trying to get me to enroll in a for-profit college or hire someone on zip recruiter. I re-ordered all my nespresso pods for the cooler months, and they’ve arrived just in time for more heat. I’m still very excited. Just over the cold brew. Am I allowed to say that and still remain a food blogger? I love a shot of espresso in the AM when the fog is still settling over the lawn and a decaf cappuccino after a toasty dinner of roasted veggies and rosemary orange chicken.
And if you haven’t noticed my website got a bit of a makeover. I’ve neglected it for far too long. I’m loving how it’s coming along! The pink, the flowers. It’s. Just. Me. If you are reading this with your bifocals, fear not, I do plan to enlarge this font at some point in the next year. It’s just taking more code than expected.
Before I get too off subject, let’s bring it back to this Peach Caprese Crostini Salad with Buratta. It’s the very best of what late summer has to offer. I thought I was done with the summer salads when I did the Arugula Peach and Crispy Bacon salad with Maple Granola. I was wrong. I was so very wrong. I still had room left for another peachy-king salad before I start shoving pumpkin down your computer screens.
When making this salad, I recommend using a balsamic glaze. If you have regular balsamic vinegar, reduce it in a saucepan over your stove top on a slow simmer until it’s a syrupy consistency. You can reduce more or less according to your preference. When you add salt to all the juicy heirloom tomatoes and fresh peaches, the fruit will macerate. This is a very good thing, believe me. It helps that you’re not adding extra liquid when the fruits will be creating their own in a few short minutes.
It just takes the swish of your knife on the peaches and tomatoes and a pressing of the blade against some fresh basil, oregano and elephant garlic. Saturate those wonderful things with olive oil, balsamic and salt, and let them marry together in what will become heaven. Slice up some sourdough baguettes and brush with garlic butter. GARLIC BUTTER. Sizzle those puppies on your panini maker, the sound of comfort. Press your fingers into some creamy buratta and tear it into bite-sized chunks for the plate. Toss on those crostini and add that peachy-heirloom goodness with a drizzle of that balsamic sauce hanging out at the bottom of the bowl. A few twists of fresh crushed black pepper later, and you have yourself dinner.
Peach Caprese Crostini Salad with Buratta
Reach for this recipe for Peach Caprese Crostini Salad with Buratta when you need a fresh summer salad that just won’t stop.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
|| Salad ||
2 peaches
1 pound heirloom tomatoes, any variety
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon elephant garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons balsamic glaze
1 teaspoon salt
|| Base ||
4 buratta balls
1 sourdough baguette
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon elephant garlic, chopped
pinch of salt
Instructions
Chop or slice peaches and tomatoes to your preferred sizes and place in a medium bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients and toss. Set aside and leave to macerate for about 10 minutes.
Heat panini grill to manufacturer’s suggestion. I set mine to about 300 degrees.
Mix room temperature butter with the garlic and a pinch of salt. Slice baguette into small pieces, and spread each side with garlic butter. Grill slices on the panini grill until they have markings but are still soft on the inside.
Shred one buratta ball each on four separate plates and add the crostini, tomato/peach mixture, and a drizzling of the sauce from the bottom of the bowl.
Keywords: peach, crostini, Italian, summer, tomato
Nice website makeover! It becomes you! And, another great salad! Thanks!
Thank you!! I’m so happy with the little nips and tucks :). Appreciate it, Mary!