Cooking Unscripted: Grilled Peach + Burrata Salad with Honeyed Croissant Croutons
This salad started with a box of peaches and spiraled into something delicious. Grilled peaches, burrata, heirloom tomatoes, and honeyed croissant croutons make every bite taste like summer. Image: Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Cooking Unscripted is about trusting your instincts in the kitchen and building meals around the seasonal ingredients you canβt stop thinking about. Right now, that ingredient for me is peaches. Combined with basil from my wildly untame garden, tomatoes, avocado, creamy burrata cheese, toasted pine nuts, and some leftover croissants, this peach and burrata salad became the star of a recent Sunday night dinner!
Every year, I wait (very impatiently) for peach season. The first truly great peaches of summer always feel like an event, and when The Peach Truck recently sent me a box of beauties, I was overjoyed. Naturally, I spent the rest of the evening tumbling down a peach recipe rabbit hole.
My basil garden has entered its annual phase of producing far more basil than any reasonable person can use (though freezing homemade pesto is always a go-to!), so Iβm constantly looking for ways to enjoy it. My tomatoes, on the other hand, are taking their sweet time. Theyβre out there trying their best, but until they decide to ripen, I couldnβt resist bringing home a few gorgeous heirloom tomatoes from the market. Iβm so glad I did. They offered the perfect dose of acidity to this recipe.
Admittedly, the croutons were born from necessity. We almost always have a giant tray of croissants from Costco hanging around the kitchen, which are perfect for breakfast, sandwiches, and the occasional late-night snack. But thereβs inevitably a point when a few are approaching their peak.
Those slightly older croissants turn out to be the perfect candidates for croutons! A quick stint in the oven transforms them into crunchy, buttery little bites. And adding a drizzle of honey at the end to bring out the sweetness? Chefβs kiss.
Once I discovered I had some avocado and burrata, the rest was history. The result is a salad that captures the taste of summer. Grilled peaches, creamy burrata, juicy heirloom tomatoes, peppery arugula, ripe avocado, fresh-picked basil, toasted pine nuts, and honey-kissed croissant croutons all come together for a dish that looks beautiful and tastes even better.
This is the kind of dish Iβd serve for a casual summer gathering (perhaps accompanied by a carafe of rosΓ©), or eat standing at the kitchen island while insisting Iβm just having βa few bites.β And once my garden tomatoes finally decide to cooperate, Iβll happily be making it all over again!
Did I mention itβs drizzled with a super-simple lemon-basil dressing?
The βLove Letter to Peach Seasonβ Salad
IngredientsΒ Β
Grilled Peach & Burrata Salad
- Arugula
- 2-3 Peaches
- 2-4 Burrata (medium-sized balls, cut into chunks)
- 1 Avocado (cut into squares)
- 1 Large heirloom tomato (or 2-3 small), diced
- Pine nuts
- A few Basil leaves
Lemon-Basil Dressing
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- A few Basil leaves (julienned)
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- 1 pinch Salt
Honeyed Croissant Croutons
- 2 Croissants, cut into squares
- Honey
- Olive oil
InstructionsΒ
Honeyed Croissant Croutons
- Heat the oven to 375Β°F. Toss the croissant pieces with a drizzle of olive oil and bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Drizzle honey over the croutons and put back in the oven for 1-2 minutes.
Lemon-Basil Dressing
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, basil, and salt. All of these ingredients are "to taste." If you want it sweeter, add more honey. More tangy? Add more mustard!
Grilled Peach & Burrata Salad
- Brush the peaches lightly with olive oil and grill cut-side down until lightly charred and softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. (I used an indoor griddle, which also works!) Slice into wedges.
- Toast a handful of pine nuts in a dry pan on low heat until lightly browned.(Watch them carefully, as pine nuts burn easily!)
- Spread the arugula onto a large serving platter or bowl.
- Arrange the grilled peach wedges, diced tomatoes, avocado, and cut burrata chunks on the greens.
- Sprinkle toasted pine nuts, julienned basil, and croissant croutons over the top.
- Drizzle your dressing on top, and serve!
The Unscripted Takeaway
Summer is already hot enough as it is β who wants to spend a ton of time fussing over the stove? Sometimes all it takes for a simple, delicious meal is a few great ingredients, a little creativity, and a willingness to use those leftover croissants before they go stale.
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For more recipe inspiration, check out ourΒ archives!
Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Editorial Operations Manager and Lead Content Editor. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.
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Perfect use for summer peaches and a great addition to my Fourth of July party.