This is one of those salads that makes you say “whoa.” It’s so good, you’ll find yourself wanting to eat the whole bowl. I don’t know about you, but that rarely happens to me.

The salad also depends a lot on the ingredients. I bought almost everything fresh from the farmers’ market (including the mozzarella) and I could taste a difference. The peaches were ripe and juicy, the arugula was tart and tangy, and the mozzarella had the consistency of a cloud. Sometimes when I get the cheapest store-bought mozzarella, it tastes like a ball of wax. So I was happy that this worked out.

The original recipe calls for grilling the peaches, but I don’t have a grill. If you do, feel free to follow the original and cook your peaches that way. Broiling is a good back up method, though, and your fruit will still taste delicious.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Fruits Bats this week. Here’s a song I was jamming out to today.

Balsamic Roasted Peach Salad (slightly adapted from Love & Lemons)

Ingredients

for the salad:
2 firm, yet ripe peaches
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups baby arugula
fresh mozzarella, sliced
a few dollops of pesto
sprinkle of toasted pine nuts
salt & pepper

for the mint & basil pesto:
1 packed cup of a mix of mint & basil
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted (you could also use walnuts instead)
½ garlic clove, roughly chopped
juice and zest from ½ a lemon
¼ cup olive oil (or more)
a few pinches of red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to broil. Slice the peaches into 6 segments per peach. In a small bowl, toss peaches with olive oil, balsamic, and just a small pinch of salt. Put the peaches in a shallow baking pan and let them broil in the oven until they’re soft and slightly caramelized. Keep an eye on them; you don’t want them to burn.

Meanwhile make the pesto. Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and pulse to combine. Add more oil for a smoother pesto, or leave it chunky – whichever consistency you prefer.

Toss the arugula with just a little bit of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Assemble on a platter and top with mozzarella slices, peaches, dollops of pesto, and a few pinches of red pepper flakes. Squeeze just a bit of lemon on top and serve.