15. Nectarine and Burrata Panzanella Salad from Cooking with the Seasons
Juicy, sweet nectarines, olive oiled, toasted bread, and burrata. AKA my summer dream in a bowl.
I'm gonna keep it short and sweet this week, because summer is busy and sometimes you just need to glance at a recipe to decide you absolutely must have it. This is one of those recipes. It’s perfect for your weekend plans and for the Fourth of July, which is somehow next week...what is happening to 2024?
This salad includes everything I love about summer - ripe nectarines, pops of sweet corn, lots of basil, a simple vinaigrette, and plenty of crusty bread cubes to soak up all the juices. Speaking of bread, Panzanella is a Tuscan bread salad, which typically uses chunks of stale bread as the base. We’re making our own croutons here, but if you have stale crusty bread laying around (not sandwich bread) then go ahead and use that!
I highly suggest you eat this salad with a big ass spoon. Try not to worry about looking like a toddler shoveling beach sand down their throat. You’ll look like that anyway, because it's that good, but I won’t judge. Promise!
Nectarine and Burrata Panzanella Salad
Makes: 4 servings
Takes: 20 minutes
For the croutons:
1/2 loaf rustic bread, cut into 1” cubes (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
For the dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
For the salad:
2 nectarines, halved, pitted and cut into 1” cubes
2 heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into 1” cubes
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and cut into 1” cubes
1 English cucumber, cut into 1” cubes
1 ear fresh corn, kernels removed
4-ounce ball of burrata cheese, torn
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1 tablespoon hot honey
1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
For the croutons: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss bread cubes with olive oil and salt and pour onto a large sheet pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crunchy. Set aside to cool.
For the dressing: Combine everything in a jar and shake to combine. Leftover dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
For the salad: Add the nectarines, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, corn kernels, bread cubes, and ¼ cup dressing to a large bowl or platter and toss gently to combine. Add more dressing to taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Garnish salad with burrata and basil leaves, then drizzle hot honey and balsamic glaze over the top. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top to finish.
With joy, from my kitchen - Alex