Pluot/Apricot Salad

Stacy and I look forward to stone fruit season with great anticipation. Stacy's favorite fruits are apricots and Santa Rosa Plums. We both like the varied flavors and colors of pluots. In our upcoming June class we will be using stone fruits in several dishes both savory and sweet. I have been refining a recipe for the past two weeks for a grilled pluot salad using apricots since pluots have not yet made their appearance this year at the Farmer's Market.

The recipe is so good I decided to share it with you:
Grilled Apricot Pluot Salad

1 1/2 lb. ripe but firm pluots and/or apricots pitted and sliced
1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon mirin
2/3 cup extra vrigin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeno or serrano chile, cut lengthwise
3/4 cup basil chiffonade
8 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

Place vinegar, mirin, lime juice and mustard in a bowl and whisk together.
Add oil in a stream while whisking to make dressing
Mark pluots and apricots on grill (this is optional. It adds a bit of tar flavor to the fruit)
Place pluots, apricots, onion, ginger and chile in large bowl with dressing; toss. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Service
Remove chile from mixture and discard
Remove pluot and apricot slices and onion and reserve
Stir basil into dressing mixture.
Salt to taste
Toss salad greens with dressing and plate or place on platter.
Top with fruit and onions

Stacy and I have had two versions of the dish this week as part of our dinners. The first night I added some left-over roasted chicken and sliced baguette. The second night I served a bit of leftover Yellow Indian Woman beans over rice. I soaked and boiled the beans with some onion and a bit of tomato paste and a dash of hot sauce. The rice was steamed in home made chicken stock. Both meals were complete, balanced and delicious.

Enjoy!

Stacy and John Murphy host an instructional, nutritious, and fun hands-on cooking class one or two Saturdays each month using ingredients that come fresh from the San Francisco Farmer’s Market.