Grilled peach salad and classic Bellini recipe
Sweet or savoury, the humble peach promises playfulness and satisfaction in any dish — or in a classic Bellini cocktail.
As far as stone fruit, adjectives and emojis go, peaches promise playfulness and satisfaction. Even the hardest peach is not irredeemable. Its tart flesh and vibrant glow can be tinkered with by heat, texture, and something creamy or fizzy. Don’t forget to use peaches for savoury applications, too – anywhere you’d use tomatoes, peaches will work.
Grilled peach salad
Heat a barbecue grill plate or heavy based griddle pan. Cut peaches in half, twist and remove the seeds. Brush the cut peach halves with a little olive oil and place cut side down onto the hot barbecue or griddle pan. Cook for 1-2 mins each side, until the peaches acquire satisfactory char marks and burnish, then turn over to just warm through.
Make the dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and giving it a brisk whisk until emulsified. Pop peaches onto a serving platter and pour over half of the dressing (remove the garlic clove) while they are still hot. Arrange burrata ball or balls artfully, layer with the Serrano ham, scatter over the finely sliced herbs and drizzle with the rest of the dressing and a final crack of pepper and sprinkle of salt.
Serves 4
Peach Bellini
This classic Bellini is inspired by the original from Harry’s Bar in Venice.
This recipe calls for peeled peaches. Start by putting a pot of water on the boil. Using a paring knife, make a little X in the bottom of each peach’s skin, then dunk into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Retrieve with a slotted spoon and repeat with the remaining peaches. Once cool enough to touch, the skin should peel off easily.
Slice each peach in half and pull out the pip, then pop all the flesh into a food processor or blender and puree. Taste and add the lemon juice if the peaches need a bit of zing. Chill the puree until ready to serve. This can be done up to a day before.
Chill six champagne flutes or coupe glasses and, when ready to serve, pour the peach puree a third of the way up the glass, then slowly pour in the chilled Prosecco (prepare for it to fizz!) and garnish with a thin slice of peach.
Makes 6
Tips
- White peaches are the classic choice for a Harry’s Bar Bellini, but if you only have yellow ones, don’t let that stop the party.
- Serrano ham is readily accessible, but if you’ve already got prosciutto handy this is a good option too.
- If you’d prefer to keep it meat-free, just stick with burrata and skip the above options entirely.
- Seek out freestone peaches for cooking with – they’re easiest to halve and deseed.