Chef's Recipes

Grilled peach, witlof, burrata, balsamic, hazelnuts

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for grilled peach, witlof, burrata, balsamic, hazelnuts.

By Philippa Sibley
  • Serves 4
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Grilled peach, witlof, burrata, balsamic, hazelnuts
"Even though this salad doesn't involve tomatoes, it's a kind of tribute to the great Italian insalata caprese," says Sibley. "Tomatoes are, after all, a fruit, and peaches have a similar texture and tang. The burrata, basil and balsamic all hark back to the classic salad from Capri, but the smokiness from the grill and the hazelnuts turn it into something new."

Ingredients

  • 4 perfectly ripe yellow peaches
  • 3 witlof, leaves separated
  • ½ bunch of basil, roughly torn
  • 4 balls of burrata
  • 100 gm roasted, skinned hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • To serve: aged balsamic vinegar and black salt (optional; see note)
Peach dressing
  • 2 ripe yellow peaches
  • 50 ml Sherry vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 5 basil leaves
  • 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Main
  • 1
    For peach dressing, peel the peaches and combine in a food processor with the vinegar, mustard and basil, then season with salt and pepper. With the food processor running, slowly add the extra-virgin olive oil until the dressing is creamy and emulsified.
  • 2
    Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones. Place in a griddle or char-grill pan and grill flesh-side down until marked with grill lines.
  • 3
    To serve, dollop some peach dressing on each plate and stack peach halves, witlof and basil around and on top. Split the burrata balls into halves or thirds and arrange over the salad. Scatter the hazelnuts over and drizzle with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Season with black salt and serve.

Notes

Note Black salt is available from specialist food stores. This recipe is from New Classics ($49.95, hbk) by Philippa Sibley, published by Hardie Grant Books. It has been reproduced with minor GT style changes.