Nourish: July Fruit of the Month — Peaches

Grilled Peach & Burrata Salad with Honey-Basil Drizzle

15 mins prep

6 mins cook

4 serves

Charred peaches, creamy burrata, and a honeyed basil oil — the kind of dish that turns a simple summer ingredient into a centerpiece.

There is a very short window each summer when a peach is exactly what it's supposed to be. Not the firm, faintly scented ones at the grocery store in March. The real ones — the ones that perfume the whole farmers market, that drip down your wrist before you've made it to the car.

July is that window. And the best thing you can do with a peach at peak ripeness is very little. A hot grill, a few minutes, and something creamy alongside it — that's the whole idea here. The heat does what it always does: concentrates the sweetness, adds a little char, turns something already good into something you'll want to repeat every week until they're gone.

Peaches also bring real nutritional weight to a dish that feels more like an indulgence than a vegetable: vitamins A, C, and E, along with antioxidants and potassium. The kind of nutrition that doesn't need to announce itself to count.

This recipe gives you 4 servings as a starter or 2 servings as a light main.

Ingredients

For the salad

• 4 ripe but firm peaches, halved and pitted
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for brushing
• 8 oz burrata cheese (1–2 balls), torn
• 3 cups arugula or baby greens
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or chopped pistachios
• Flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

  For the honey-basil drizzle

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Pinch of salt

Method

1. 1 Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Brush the cut side of each peach half lightly with olive oil.
2. 2 Place the peaches cut-side down on the grill and cook for 3–4 minutes, without moving them, until deep char marks form and the peaches release easily.
3. 3 Flip and grill for 1–2 minutes more on the skin side, just to soften slightly. Remove and let rest for a few minutes — they'll continue to soften as they cool.
4. 4 While the peaches rest, make the drizzle: whisk together the olive oil, honey, chopped basil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until combined.
5. 5 Arrange the arugula or greens on a serving platter. Slice the grilled peaches into wedges and scatter over the greens.
6. 6 Tear the burrata into rough pieces and nestle it among the peaches.
7. 7 Spoon the honey-basil drizzle generously over the top, then finish with toasted pine nuts, flaky salt, and a crack of black pepper.
8. 8 Serve immediately, while the peaches are still warm and the burrata is cool — that contrast is the whole point.

Britt's note

No grill? A cast iron skillet on the stovetop gets the same char — just make sure it's properly hot before the peaches go in, and resist the urge to move them too soon.

If your peaches are very ripe and soft, handle them gently when flipping — a fish spatula helps keep them intact.

There's a moment that happens when a ripe peach hits a hot grill — the sugars caramelize, the edges blister, and what was already good becomes something else entirely. This salad doesn't dress that moment up with much; it just gives it the right company: cool, milky burrata, peppery greens, and a basil-honey drizzle that ties the sweet and savory together.

Cook what's in season.

Nourish what you have.

Feed yourself the way you'd feed someone you love.

A deep breath in a beautiful life.

Talk soon.

— Britt