Arugula Salad with Peaches and Goat Cheese, a delicious, lively mix of sweet and savory. Recipe below.
Peaches and I haven’t always been on the best of terms. In fact, I’ll go entire seasons without buying a single one. First, there’s the way they often go directly from being hard as baseballs to mold-covered science experiments, with no apparent moment of just being ripe and ready to eat in between. And even when they do begrudgingly ripen, there’s often something bland or mealy or otherwise disappointing about the taste.
And then there was the tree. When Marion and I bought an old house in St. Louis, the backyard came equipped with a large, ancient peach tree. It provided a shady spot in the yard and a little extra privacy from the house directly across the alley. We looked forward to eating fruit from our very own tree.
Unfortunately, as with many old fruit trees, it had become diseased. Every summer, it faithfully produced bushel upon bushel of peaches, none of them edible. They would drop to the ground, already rotting, creating a fragrant mess on the lawn. No matter how carefully I picked them up before mowing, the mower would invariably find at least one I’d missed. Every bit as pleasant as it sounds.
And then there were the drunken wasps. Or bees or whatever. Attracted by the rotting, fermenting fruit, hundreds of them would swarm loopily around the tree and the lawn, eating the spoiled fruit and becoming completely intoxicated and lethargic. And the problem was, you never knew if they were going to be happy drunks or mean ones.
Each season, sections of the tree would die off, and we would cut away those parts. Gradually, we whittled it down to something we could entirely cut down. That was one of my happiest days as a homeowner.
This year, though, the peaches are amazing. They’ve broken my heart so many times in the past that I usually just walk right by them in the produce department. But this year I couldn’t. Their deep, beautiful color beckoned, even from a distance. Up close, their heady perfume held promise. I picked one up. Not hard as a baseball—just nice and firm and, well, ripe. So I bought some, hopeful but still ready to be disappointed. They. Were. Incredible. Delicious and sweet, with a big peach flavor and a nice, not-too-mushy texture. And the ones that were maybe a day or so away from ripeness obediently ripened without rotting.
Since that first test batch, I’ve been buying them like they’re going out of style. Which, of course, they are—summer won’t last forever. Besides eating them straight, we’ve been cutting them up on cereal, mixing them with plain yogurt, adding them to fruit salads and constantly looking for new ways to use them. Which led to this salad.
I’d seen a recipe for a simpler version using a creamy salad dressing in Food & Wine [I think]. I’m not generally a fan of creamy dressings, so I went with goat cheese to add a creamy touch, and the salad kind of took off from there.
Arugula Salad with Peaches and Goat Cheese
Serves 2
For Vinaigrette
1 clove garlic
scant 1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Japanese rice vinegar [see Kitchen Notes for substitutions]
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For Salad
1 peach on the firm side of ripe
6 cups arugula [see Kitchen Notes]
chopped chives [about 1-1/2 teaspoons—see Kitchen Notes]
4 teaspoons crumbled goat cheese
additional freshly ground black pepper, optional
Make the vinaigrette. Bash the garlic clove with the side of a knife. You don’t want to pulverize it—just break it up into big chunks and expose the insides. Remove skins and place garlic in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add salt and mash the garlic into it with the tines of a fork. Add oil and mash the garlic some more with the fork—this releases the garlic juices into the oil. Add vinegar and pepper. Beat with the fork to combine flavors and set aside. The longer you let it sit, the more pronounced the garlic taste will be. But for this salad, you can really make the dressing just before pulling the rest of the salad together.
When you’re ready to use the vinaigrette, beat again with fork to combine ingredients. Then either fish out as much of the garlic as you can with the fork or use the fork tine to hold back the garlic as you drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad. Yes, some little bits of garlic will end up in the salad either way. That’s actually a good thing.
Assemble the salad. Slice the peach in half and remove pit. Cut each half into 6 slices and place in medium bowl. Drizzle a little of the vinaigrette over the peach slices and gently stir to coat. Set aside.
Place arugula in salad bowl. Toss with the rest of the vinaigrette to coat all the leaves. Divide onto two plates. Divide peaches onto plates. Sprinkle each with chives and goat cheese. Grind a little extra pepper over each, if you like. I do—it’s a nice visual touch. Serve.
Kitchen Notes
The vinaigrette. In case you’re having a déjà vu moment, this is essentially the garlicky French vinaigrette I wrote about recently, downsized for a salad for two. I made it a touch saltier because of the sweetness of the peaches and used Japanese rice vinegar for its light, tart flavor. You could also use a white balsamic or white wine vinegar. I would avoid darker vinegars to keep the colors of the peach and the goat cheese bright.
And as I will always say when I write about salads, don’t drown it in dressing. The 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette this recipe makes is plenty to gloss the salad and give it a nice, tart, garlicky punch while still letting the flavors of the individual ingredients come through.
Arugula. As I was making this salad, I was thinking one could easily substitute mixed greens. Once it was done, though, I knew it had to be arugula. First, the deep green of the leaves is a beautiful background for the golden slices of peach and the white goat cheese. More important, the single, peppery note of the arugula is the perfect foil for the sweetness of the peach and the creamy flavor of the goat cheese. Mixed greens would have been way too busy for this salad, both visually and tastewise.
Being a huge fan of this lively herb, I’m including this post in Weekend Herb Blogging. It’s being hosted this week by its creator, Kalyn over at Kalyn’s Kitchen. Be sure to check out her complete round-up on Monday.
Chives. Be sure to use them—or the green tops of a scallion. They add a bit of wild greenness to balance the sweetness of the peach.
Don’t toss it, assemble it. This recipe is so simple, you’ll be tempted to just toss everything together. Don’t. The peaches will get beat up and sink to the bottom of the bowl, the goat cheese will start to dissolve into a creamy mess and the chives will just plain disappear. We eat with our eyes as well as our mouths—take an extra minute or two and assemble individual salads.
Other Notes
News Flash: Food bloggers are friendly, articulate, funny, smart people. I’m sure you’re just as shocked as I am by this revelation. The BlogHer Conference was held in Chicago this past weekend, and Marion and I took part in a food blogger dinner at Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown. There were nearly 40 of us, and it was a lovely, lively evening of great conversation and great food. Many new friendships were formed over fiery, affordable Szechuan food that night.
Also this week in Blue Kitchen
It’s country mouse/city mouse in Blue Kitchen this week:
Little prairie on the, um, prairie. Get a glimpse of what much of North America looked like 8,000 years ago, at WTF? Random food for thought.
Head out for some house-made late night jazz at a venue that doubles as an apartment, at What’s on the kitchen boombox?
Hey, I came here to say how nice it was to meet you and I found a WHB post. Be sure to send me the link so I don’t forget you!
I was so sorry we didn’t get to talk more, but it was great to meet you in Chicago!. I was barely alive at that dinner, but I just couldn’t miss a chance to meet so many bloggers. Tomorrow I get to go to the doctor to see what’s wrong.
So beautiful! I totally understand re: peaches and how fickle they can be. Esp. for grocery dependent peach consumers like me in Arizona!
Lovely, lovely!
Terry,
I love peaches so much I even commented your apricot rosemary dessert with them in mind. Delicious fruit, one of my favorites, for sure.
This salad has all the ingredients to become a huge favorite of mine – as soon as this awful cold weather takes a break (last weekend we had 7ºC here, something that hadn’t happened in as long as I can remember) I’m gonna try your recipe. Can’t wait!
P.S.: I wish I lived nearby – how lovely that blogger meeting must have been!
I had a plum tree with the same problems as your peach tree– what a disappointment. Maybe some day I’ll have a fruit tree that produces edible fruit! This salad looks great.
Kalyn—The dinner was a total blast! So many smart, nice, interesting people. Hope you’re feeling better soon.
Kirsten—Thanks for the kind comment! Interestingly, the source of the amazing peaches I’m finding this summer is the grocery store. We also got some from a farmers market downtown, but honestly, the grocery store ones were a little better.
Patricia—You would have been a lively addition to the dinner, I’m sure. Keep warm [for the metrically challenged, myself included, 7ºC equals 45ºF]. In Chicago, that’s practically shorts weather, but if you’re not used to it, I’ll bet you’re freezing.
Lucette—Apparently fruit trees just generally have a short lifespan, at least in terms of producing edible fruit.
I just love the way goat cheese melts into the salad when combined with the dressing..I add pears to salads but hadn’t thought to expand to peaches.
Also.. If you need more things to do with those peaches, may I recommend Paula Deen’s peach cobbler (if you’re not opposed to all the butter). I couldn’t stop eating it. I mean.. I would wake up in the middle of the night craving it. Here it is: http://madisonandmayberry.typepad.com/madison_mayberry/2007/07/a-buttery-peach.html
Andrea—I sometimes like that melting quality too, but not with this salad. I remember mixing some diced tomatoes and goat cheese with vinaigrette once, planning to sprinkle it on a salad later. I kind of ended up with tomato bits in a vinegary milk.
That cobbler looks pretty amazing, especially with your tip for reducing the amount of sugar when using fresh peaches. Thanks! The peaches this year are plenty sweet on their own.
Great summer for nearly all fruits. Tuscany melons are incredible. Sweetness of white peaches is not to be believed
I have to admit to a strong preference for nectarines over peaches, and this salad would work well with them. Sorry I didn’t get to BlogHer to meet you. Maybe next year….
Lou—To your point, I just had possibly the best plum I’ve ever eaten—so juicy and sweet. My friend Lou lives in southern California, land of produce abundance. But I’m not jealous. No, not a bit.
Lydia—I actually thought about making this with nectarines, which would be delicious too. The advantage of peaches is that the stone releases easily, making it simple to get visually pleasing slices. We actually didn’t attend BlogHer—me not being a “her” seemed like something of an issue—but got invited to be part of the dinner, since it was here in Chicago. But I’ll bet our paths will cross someday—we’ve made so many face-to-face friends from Internet meetings.
Ah, Terry, I loved the salad recipe. Peaches, goat cheese, arugula. What I really got excited about was the pepper. People sometimes forget how great fruit tastes with even common condiments. Pepper on peaches and cantaloupe. Vinegary hot sauce on cucumbers. Oh, wait, I’m just drooling instead of typing sense. Wonderful prairie pictures, too.
Carolyn—Thanks! You mentioned cucumbers. Reminds me of a simple appetizer/snack either Marion or daughter Claire introduced to the family: slice fresh pickles into spears, then squeeze some lime juice over them and sprinkle them with chili powder. Also works with some kinds of fruit—mangoes and peaches would both be good choices.
Peaches.
Need I say more?
I am especially fond of your photograph with the blue pancake bowl & peaches. great contrast of colors and textures. Succinct, perfect.
And that dinner in Chicago? Some of the best food like it I have Ever come across! Zow, delicious! If i lived there I might go nightly for that eggplant with pork and the smoked tea duck. goodness me oh my.
next time you and I will be sure to take a corner and chat more in person…
Nice drunks/mean drunks. That’s funny! I’m glad to hear the fruit is rockin’ in Chicago too! I need to go get some at the greenmarket this morning I think! I love the idea of this salad Terry, thanks!
Terry, you have a wonderful blog! The picture of that salad is almost tempting me to go buy peaches (I have the same relationship with peaches as you do, or did).
Thank you so very much for organizing the dinner last Friday. It was such a wonderful experience, although I never did get a chance to talk to you 🙁 I’ll take this opportunity to extend an open invitation to you and Marion- to a simple home-cooked Indian meal next time you are in St. Louis and have a couple of hours to spare. My e-mail is on my blog. Thanks again!
Nupur—Wow, thank you! We’d love to get together with you in St. Louis. Maybe in your kitchen [from your blog, I know that would be a wonderful meal] or at Everest—or any other cool St. Louis restaurant, for that matter. The blogger dinner really was fun, wasn’t it? I know some diners were troubled by the spiciness of the food—I’m sure you were fine with it, though.
I’m so glad that you found good peaches. Isn’t a good peach a headily fragrant balance of sweet-tart goodness? Here in produce-land, I get spoiled by the readily available good peaches (three heirloom varieties are sitting in my fruit bowl right now) during the summer. I really like the combination you have here of the goat cheese and the peaches with a flavorful vinaigrette–I made something similar for lunch this week, except I used chilled blanched green beans instead of arugula, also a good combo.
Nice pictures. The peaches look as good as you describe.
There’s a stand outside of Julian – a little town about an hour and a half from San Diego – that sells peaches in the summer. It’s absolutely worth the drive. I buy as many as I think I can eat from that place. They sell them practically straight from the tree, and I’ve never eaten a better peach in my life!
Love your salad, the dressing, and the goat cheese combo. And, of course, your photography! Wish I lived closer to Chicago – would love to have met you, Marion, and all the other wonderful bloggers. Oh well….maybe another time.
Mmm, peaches and arugula sound like a great combination. It was great to meet you and your wife. Thanks for doing most of the work in planning the dinner. I think it was a success!
So I’m a little late to your little peach party ~ but am extraordinarily envious. Local St Louis peaches are scarce and dear this year, thanks to the spring freeze. I’m actually boycotting out-of-state peaches, it’s my small statement that some things are worth waiting for. The photo of the blue bowl with peaches, however, is making me re-consider.
I just stopped by to say that it was very nice to meet you last week. I’m looking forward to a Chicago area food bloggers get together.
Also, I’m glad that you found a place in your heart for peaches this year because I just love them. We just ripped through half a dozen today!
Terry, it was great to meet you last week! I’m glad we had a chance to talk a bit before dinner broke up. Can’t wait to read more of the site too!
My love affair with peaches has also been a torrid one. I am hurt and disappointed time and time again, yet I come crawling back – there should be a support group for folks like us.
But then reward! I have given up on grocery stores, but embrace the wonder of the perfect farmers market peach. I always intend to do things with them, but invariably end up just gobbling them all up on my own, juice dripping down my chin.
So nice to meet you in Chicago – can’t wait to read more.
This is a beautifully written post, Terry, and your photo is simple yet lush. I just adore peaches in salad, and made one last night, with a lemon-balsamic vinaigrette, basil, and toasted pistachios. I’ll be trying your combo next, as I’ve got a couple of beauties still in the fruit bowl.
I made a version of this salad with you, Blue Kitchen, in mind. Used some peaches from Evanston Farmers market, some goat cheese, mache and a citrus vinaigrette. Husband loved it. Next time, I’m going to do it with grilled peaches.
Hi. I am enjoying your website and love the peach recipe. We have a peach orchard that surrounds our property. The first thing I learned was that you can’t ship a fresh peach anywhere, it just won’t make it. So getting a fresh picked peach almost requires a visit to an orchard or growing your own. That being said, I have noticed that the peaches in the orchard “cycle” in size as well as flavor. About seven years ago, we picked peaches the size of baseballs and VERY flavorful, but since then they got smaller and less flavorful. This year was the first year they were tasty and decent size. Kinda strange…but true!!
Claire—I’ve actually been having good luck with grocery store peaches this summer. Must be that they’re just doing well everywhere, more or less. I know what you mean about gobbling them all up, juice down the chin and all.
Susan and Toni—I love the salads with peaches you two have made! That’s one of the fun things about cooking, starting with a basic idea, then taking off in your own direction. Toni, I’d love to hear how the grilled peaches turn out.
Tina—Thanks! There are so many variables that can affect peaches [and other produce]. We were just up in northern Michigan, and the peaches at roadsside stands, while tasty, were on the puny side. They haven’t had much rain at all this summer.
any update on the Balaban cucumber bisque recipe?
We r anxious in colorado,,,
Alas, no. It’s no longer on their menu either—at least the last time I checked. I fear it is lost. Still, I’m looking forward to Marion attempting it this coming summer.