This recipe was found on Gastro as part of their “Get 4 Delicious Recipes From River Cottage” series
Serves 4
75 g almonds without the skin
2 ripe peaches or nectarines
A bit of sunflower seed oil and a pat of butter (if the peaches are to be fried)
4 large handfuls of water cress or arugula
50 g redcurrants or blueberries
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Dressing:
3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp honey
Toast the almonds until they have golden spots. Shake while toasting in the dry pan, so they don’t burn. Let cool on a plate.
If the peaches are completely ripe, you can just halve them and remove the stones, then cut into 5-6 wedges. If they aren’t completely ripe, it’s a good idea to fry them a bit first. Head a bit of sunflower seed oil and a little pat of butter in a pan on low to medium heat. Lay the peach wedges in, and lightly fry them for a minute or two on each side, or until tender. Remove from the pan, and let cool, until warm or room-temperature.
Place the ingredients for the dressing in a small jam glass along with a bit of salt and pepper, put the lid on, and shake until thick- or mix well in a small container.
Spread the water cress out on a large serving dish. Arrange the peach slices atop the leaves. Sprinkle the toasted almonds over, followed by the redcurrants.
If you’ve fried the peaches, you can deglaze the pan with a bit of the dressing, scrap the remains of the pan’s bottom with a spatula and pour the mixture over the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, until you think it’s gotten enough. Give the salad a little extra sprinkle of pepper, and serve.