The perfect time for barbecues, iced tea, and fresh fruit is summertime. Cool off from the summer heat with this light, sweet and refreshing summer fruit salad recipe featuring stone fruits, mint, and goat cheese.
What is Stone Fruit Salad?
A stone fruit is a fruit with pulp that surrounds a stone or pit. My Stone Fruit Salad with Mint and Goat Cheese recipe below features three of the most common stone fruits: peaches, nectarines, and plums. Other examples of stone fruits include cherries, apricots, and even mangoes! Stone fruits are high in antioxidants and can help to improve eyesight, skin health, and reduce inflammation. For more information on the health benefits of eating stone fruits, click here.
A Tangy Burst of Sweetness
When I first created this fruit salad, I was catering a friend's baby shower. My menu included Creamy Chicken Salad Croissants, Southern Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches, Caprese Pasta Salad, and my Easy, Self-Assembled Charcuterie Board. For dessert, I made two types of cupcakes with cute fondant toppers: Honey Cake Cupcakes and Brownie Cupcakes.
As I planned my menu for the baby shower, I needed something that had enough acidity to cut through the richness of the chicken salad and pimiento cheese. However, I did not want the dish to overpower the cupcakes I planned on serving for dessert. I decided a fruit salad would be a great addition to the menu.
After some experimentation, I finalized my recipe for my Summer Stone Fruit Salad with Mint and Goat Cheese. The fruit salad had just enough punch to cut through the richness and balance my menu. The fruit salad was an instant hit at the baby shower and I have made it numerous times since. It is a very popular dish I make in the summer because it is refreshing and pairs so nicely with a crisp glass of white wine or on the side of a rich meal. Incidentally, my friend's twins were born just a few weeks later!
Essential Tools
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All of my posts contain my recommendations for essential tools. I have researched these tools. Many of them are already in my kitchen. The ones that are not come highly rated. I do the research so you don’t have to and I only recommend high-quality tools.
If you are just starting to furnish your kitchen with tools or if you are looking to expand your kitchen toolkit, be sure to reference Expert Guide: Equip Your Kitchen for Less Than $200. This guide contains links to all of the equipment items I recommend for a basic kitchen set up.
My essential tools when making this fruit salad include the following:
- Cuisinart C77SS-15PK 15-Piece Stainless Steel Hollow Handle Block Set
- Microplane Premium Classic Series Zester Grater
- Top Rated Zulay Premium Quality Metal Lemon Lime Squeezer
Quick Stone Fruit Salad with Mint and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 large peaches sliced
- 3 large nectarines sliced
- 5 large plums sliced
- 2 limes zested and juiced
- 3 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. mint chopped
- ¼ cup goat cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Whisk lime zest, lime juice, honey, and mint in a mixing bowl.
- Pour honey-lime dressing over sliced fruit.
- Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top of the fruit salad. Enjoy!
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