Stone Fruit Panzanella

This salad is peak summer produce with....bread. Delicious, craggy crouton-y bread. Basically, it's the best salad ever. The stone fruit is juicy and sweet, the cucumbers are crunchy and fresh, the croutons are simultaneously toasty and chewy and SO flavorful from soaking up the dressing, and who doesn't love a whole lotta burrata? It's fab.

Stone Fruit Panzanella

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• ½ loaf rustic bread (sourdough, pain au levain, etc.) - should yield about 2-3 cups when torn into chunks later

• Olive Oil 

• Salt and Pepper

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 shallot, minced

• 3 tbsp vinegar (I like a combination of balsamic and red wine vinegar, but white wine, sherry or champagne work too)

• ½ pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• 1 lb stone fruit, thinly sliced (peaches, nectarines, plums, etc all work - equates to about 2-3 depending on size)

• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch pieces

• 1 handful basil, roughly chopped

• 1 ball of burrata

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Cut off the super crusty parts of the bread and tear the remaining bread into 1 inch chunks. You can cut the bread, but tearing creates more crevices for the dressing to hold onto. Place the chunks of bread on a sheet tray. Sprinkle them with a big pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle with olive oil so that all the pieces are lightly coated (about 2 tbsp). Toss everything to distribute evenly and then toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until browned and golden on the outside and just slightly chewy on the inside. Place in a large bowl and set aside. 

3. In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, shallot, vinegar, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and then drizzle most of the dressing onto the bread, reserving a couple tbsp for the rest of the salad. Let it absorb into the bread for a minute or two.

4. Add the tomatoes, stone fruit, cucumber and basil to the bread along with the rest of the dressing. Toss to combine and season to taste, and then gently tear in pieces of burrata. Toss lightly and serve! Tastes great with roast chicken!