A customizable summer salad that works with just about any combination of in-season stone fruit, and pairs well with whites that mirror the salad: peach and stone fruit, herbaceous green notes, and plenty of fruit to stand up to the blue cheese.
Pick your drupe.
Just about any drupe (a fleshy fruit with a pit) will work: peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, apricots, and mangoes are all great choices. (Prunes, coconuts, and olives are also stone fruits, but hopefully you get the idea.) Pick what’s ripe and juicy right now and run with it. In early summer you might use Rainier cherries and red plums; in late summer, ripe peaches and nectarines will be calling your name.
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4–6
1. Toast and chop your almonds
Toss raw almonds into a dry skillet over medium heat and toast, tossing often, until fragrant, about five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Roughly chop and set aside.
(Note: You can also use almonds that are pre-roasted and salted.)
2. Prep your fruit and mint
Cut your fruit into .5- to 1-inch chunks. (The cherry pieces will of course be smaller; just cut around the pit into four pieces each.)
Roughly chop the mint. You should have about a half a cup of chopped leaves.
3. Toss it all together
In your largest salad bowl, add arugula, fruit, almonds, chopped mint, and gorgonzola. Squeeze one whole lime and drizzle 1 or 2 tablespoons of good olive oil over the ingredients. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and toss.
