Grilled Apricot Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese

Apricots are my favorite summer fruit. Or maybe white peaches are. Actually, I enjoy ripe, sweet cherries very much. Ah, it's hard to pick a favorite. Summer's bounty is sweet and colorful, which means I happily stock up on the most fragrant fruits at the market.

And usually that means I overstock.

What's a girl to do with one too many apricots? Especially the white, cottony apricots that were left behind because they felt too firm between my fingers. The ones that might ruin the steady sequence of sweet apricots my palate got accustomed to with their unwelcome tartness. Those get left behind in the fruit bowl, unworthy of being consumed raw.

So, I grill them. And they become perfect again. The cooking process actually brings out some of their sweet, natural juices and mixed with some honey, they'll make your taste buds sing.

This salad is an interesting medley of flavors. It starts with the spiciness of the arugula and is topped off with the distinctiveness of the goat's cheese as well as the sweetness of the apricots and figs. Finally, it's finished off with the strawberry vinaigrette, that adds a touch of tartness.

A fun summer salad to savor before summer drifts away.


This recipe is part of another Kosher Connection LinkUp. The last one which felt not so long ago was a lot of fun! Keep an eye out for future themes.







For the salad:

Ingredients:
6 cups of arugula lettuce
5 apricots, halved
1 tablespoon of honey
3-4 figs, quartered
1/2 pint of yellow cherry tomatoes
1/4 of a purple onion, thinly sliced
2-3 oz. of goat cheese, sliced

1. Heat grill over medium heat. Brush each apricot half with honey and cook on grill until softened and grill marks appear.
2. In a salad bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss to mix. Add the apricots
3. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad.

Strawberry Vinaigrette:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of strawberries, washed
1/4 cup of grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a food processor, puree all the ingredients. Refrigerate.