The classic, tomato-based caprese salad is without flaw, but creamy cheese, vibrant basil, and a drizzle of oil and vinegar get along swimmingly with many other fruits, and with stone fruits in particular.
Peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots are juicy and tangy—though admittedly not as tangy as tomatoes, but that’s okay. Subbing stone fruits for tomatoes takes the Caprese salad in a sweeter direction, making it (in my professional opinion) a perfect breakfast salad option. Rather than the standard mozzarella, I like to use its creamier cousin, burrata. The softer, cream- and curd-filled, slightly more decadent cheese holds its own against both the sweet and the tart, so feel free to surround it with a variety of stone fruit friends. (If all you have is fresh mozzarella, use that; it will be delicious either way.)
The best balsamic vinegars for building your best salad:
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Though balsamic isn’t needed in a caprese made with really good tomatoes, it’s crucial here, as you need that hit of acid to keep the sweetness from becoming cloying. If you want to give the salad a deeper, caramelized flavor, grill (or waffle) the peaches first, let them cool, and build the salad as usual.
Stone Fruit Caprese Salad
Ingredients:
- About 4 stone fruits of your choosing. I like to use one white peach (for sweetness) and a variety of plums and pluots for some tartness.
- 1 8-ounce ball of burrata (or equivalent amount of fresh mozzarella)
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Really good flaky salt
Cut the fruit into slices or narrow wedges, and fan them out around the burrata. If using fresh mozzarella, tear it up into little pieces and scatter it amongst the fruit slices. Drizzle on some olive oil, sprinkle vinegar on the fruit, and give everybody a little love with some flaky salt (such as Maldon). Chiffonade the basil and toss it on top, then enjoy as an appetizer, side, or fresh as hell dessert.