This decadent salad is one of Kimbal’s favorites. Cherries are an easy fruit to find when you’re buying from the grocery store, but look forward to substituting them with peaches and plums when they are in season at your farmers market.
Combining stone fruit with the savory bite of Parmesan, along with the kick from both basil and garlic, makes for a dish that tastes like Italy on a plate. It’s fresh and healthy with natural sugar, fat, and zest. Each bite hits a different note depending on what lands on your spoon. This dish gets better as it sits and macerates with the salt and lemon.
- 1/2 pound block Parmesan
- 1 pound cherries or stone fruit of choice (such as peaches or plums)
- 1 bunch basil
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced into thin slivers
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cut the fruit in half and take out the pits. If you’re using peaches, cut the fruit into bite-sized chunks. If you’re using cherries, just leave them in halves. Place the cut fruit in a large bowl.
Pick the basil leaves off of the stems, tear them in half, and add to the bowl with the fruit. Add the cheese chunks, garlic slivers, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Using your hands, toss everything together. Add pepper to taste. Toss again. Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the ingredients to macerate and let the flavors combine.
