I was asked to make a salad for a family picnic. Salads are one of the best playgrounds for culinary creativity, as it is a very tolerating setting. Usually tasty ingredients will combine to form a tasty salad, and there’s no complex technique involved.

I’ve wanted to make some Gorgonzola salad for a while, so this was my immediate choice. Gorgonzola is often paired with fruit, like apples, pears and figs. However, I wanted to try something different and just looked around at the market for the fruit of the season. I ended up choosing apricots, cherries and nectarines. I also took lettuce for a base, walnuts for crunch and mint and rocket for offsetting the sweetness of the fruit.

I sprinkled the halved apricots with some brown sugar and broiled them a little to enhance their color, soften them and bring out some tartness. I was a bit in a rush and so the oven was not fully heated, and they did not broil as expected, but they were fine.

I then pitted the cherries using a simple technique I picked up on youtube. Just crush the cherries like garlic cloves with a chef’s knife. The pit will then comes out easily.

I then combined everything, and prior to consumption added some honey, salt and balsamic vinegar that were mixed together thoroughly. Overall I think it was a great salad, based on a great cheese, but perhaps the apricots were a bit too bold or too many. Might tone it down next time. I thin I’d also love the same combination on a pizza ^_^