Some Foods are Made to Eat Alone
Peaches, Apricots, Plums + Arugula, Nectarine, Basil, and Mozzarella + Symington & Mendes Vinho Verde
There are some foods made to eat alone. A bowl of ramen, boiled egg bobbing in an unctuous broth, watching a sheet of nori transform from crisp shingle to limp sheet, racing to slurp mouthfuls of chewy noodles while giving your face a steam bath. A single brownie studded with dark chocolate chunks. The wing of a whole, roasted chicken, fresh out of the oven. A ripe peach.
My intentions with summer stone fruit begin with sharing. I envision peach crisp spiced with ginger, plum clafoutis and apricots topped with a cakelike cobbler. Outside of dessert, I would grill nectarines alongside pork chops, slip some overripe apricots in a pan with chicken breasts to form a melty sauce, or slice up a couple of perfectly ripe peaches and nestle them into an arugula salad with fresh mozzarella and a handful of basil.
This enthusiasm comes with a catch. All these dreams of sticky hands and sweet summer fruit is both a waiting game and a game of risk. Those peaches are almost always hard on arrival. I set them out on the counter and stand by. Then one morning I wake to realize that one peach has gone from the nice kind of fuzz to the rather unwelcome kind. Mold. I race to cut off the bad part and save what is left, now so ripe it is nearly dissolving in my hands, a drippy mess. It will not make it to cobbler. Standing over the sink, juice trailing down my forearm and off the elbow, my teeth sink in to the soft, sweet fruit. It is breakfast. It is also a moment of perfect summer ripeness that I savor with each fleeting bite.
Before the season is over, I will make that cobbler, clafouti or crisp. But along the way there will be more moments where the perfect plum, nectarine, apricot or peach cannot wait a moment longer than the time to takes to reach my mouth. When summer is in hand, you take it, even if that moment is yours alone.
Recipe…
Arugula, Nectarine, Basil, and Mozzarella Salad
Share, if you must. This is a solo sized entrée salad, or good for two to share as a starter. Double or triple if you are having friends over – great for a cookout if you dress right before eating. Swap the nectarine for a peach or plums, whatever stone fruit you have on hand, ripe but still sliceable.
Serves: 1 or more
1/2 T. Meyer lemon juice
¼ tsp flaky sea salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3 cups arugula, loosely packed
¼ cup small basil leaves, or large leaves torn
1 ripe nectarine, peach or other stone fruit
2 oz. fresh mozzarella
1 ½ T. extra virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let sit the dressing sit, allowing the salt to dissolve while prepping the rest of the salad. Arrange arugula on a plate or platter. Scatter basil leaves over the arugula. Slice nectarine or peach thinly and arrange over greens. Tear mozzarella into bite sized pieces and nestle between fruit slices and greens. Whisk olive oil into seasoned lemon juice. Taste and add more salt and pepper of necessary. If you cannot find Meyer lemons and are substituting standard lemons, you may want to add a touch of honey for balance. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over the salad and serve.
To Drink…
Mendes & Symington Alvarinho Contacto Vinho Verde, Portugal 2023
Powerhouse port producer Symington (Dow’s, Graham’s) has teamed up with Vinho Verde producer Anselmo Mendes to make this approachable Alvarinho, with more complexity that the typical bottle available for export. As its Spanish cousin across the border, Albariño, gains popularity, it seems winemaking has moved in favor of an overly fruity style seemingly designed for mass consumption and happy hour specials. This is not that kind of Albariño/Alvarinho. Here a pronounced stone fruit nose is balanced with a lemony, mouth-watering acidity. That peachy nose had me instantly in mind of summer salads like watermelon, mint and feta or nectarines, arugula and basil. Open outdoors and sip during warm days while the sun sets.
From $18.99 at Total Wine