Name: Peach and Blackberry Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: ½ c. extra virgin olive oil; ¼ c. champagne vinegar; 1 t. Dijon mustard; 3 T. honey, preferably local; 4-5 large blackberries, rinsed; 1 T. fresh basil, roughly chopped; Sea salt and black pepper, to taste; 2 c. baby spinach; 2 c. baby arugula; 2 large ripe peaches, sliced; 1 c. blackberries, washed and patted dry; ½ c. walnuts, roughly chopped; 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled; Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Mention salad and my brain conjures up an image of a plate of green leaves. Nice but not exactly exciting, right? But there are tons of ways to enjoy a salad and add more flavour easily. Plus, salads are ideal for those between season times when you never know if it is hot or cold. So this peach and blackberry salad uses fall seasonal foods but is perfect for a warm day.

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Vinaigrette or salad dressing?

When you talk about salads, there are two main types of salad dressing – vinaigrette or salad dressing. But is there really a difference?

Yes, there is! Not only does it contain different types of ingredients, but it works a bit differently in the recipe.

peach blackberry salad - salad dressing or vinaigrette?

A vinaigrette mixes oil with something acidic such as citrus juice or vinegar (like in this recipe). A basic recipe is three parts oil to one part vinegar and a little seasoning but there are hundreds of variations. It is perfect for salads or cold vegetables as well as meat or fish dishes.

A salad dressing is more like a sauce that is served cold. It works on cold pasta salad, cold chicken and a whole range of other dishes as well as the classic salad. It might use mayonnaise, buttermilk, yoghurt or other creamy bases.

What’s the difference between champagne and white wine vinegar?

The other ingredient of note in this recipe is the champagne vinegar. Sounds fancy and really expensive but it isn’t, it is simply a variation of white wine vinegar.

With champagne vinegar, the wine in the mixture is champagne as opposed to white wine. This means the bubble nature of the wine transfers a little to the vinegar. No, it doesn’t have actual bubbles, but it is lighter than white wine vinegar. Both aren’t as sour as many vinegars and champagne vinegar is a little less sour than white wine vinegar.

What you need to make peach and blackberry salad

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

½ c. extra virgin olive oil
¼ c. champagne vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
3 T. honey, preferably local
4-5 large blackberries, rinsed
1 T. fresh basil, roughly chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Salad Ingredients:

2 c. baby spinach
2 c. baby arugula
2 large ripe peaches, sliced
1 c. blackberries, washed and patted dry
½ c. walnuts, roughly chopped
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Kitchen equipment

Food processor
Airtight container for any leftover vinaigrette
Large glass bowl
Serving platter
Salad drizzler (optional but feels very fancy!)

How to make the recipe

STEP 1: Add the olive oil, mustard, honey, blackberries and basil to the food processor and season. Blend until emulsified.

STEP 2: Taste and add more honey or seasoning if needed. Transfer to an airtight contain and keep in the fridge until serving the salad.

STEP 3: Toss the spinach and arugula in a large glass bowl then move to a serving platter.

STEP 4: Top with sliced peach, fresh blackberries, walnuts and goats’ cheese.

STEP 5: Garnish with fresh basil and drizzle the vinaigrette on top or offer in a bowl to one side.

Recipe tips

Vinaigrette: to get the best flavour, make this up the day before you want to serve the salad to let the flavours mix together. Make sure you store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Add some meat or fish: if you want to bulk this out into a meal salad, you can add a few ingredients. Cooked chicken sliced up is brilliant or grilled shrimp would work. You could even cook and thinly slice some steak to add to the recipe.

Yield: 4 portions