This is a wonderful and fresh dish full of summer flavor, perfect for a light lunch, or great as a starter to share!  Experiment with you own favorite pairings of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar or try one of our recommendations below! Enjoy this with a a crisp glass of pinot grigio or rosé!

SERVES 4

Ingredients:  

4- 1” thick slices of Artisan Bread (any crusty, chewy, yeast bread would be great like ciabatta, sourdough, or rustic batard)

Extra virgin olive oil- approximately ¼ cup but more for drizzle (medium intensity)

1 glove garlic

2 ripe nectarines (this would also be delicious with peaches, plums, or figs) cut into ¼ to ½” wedges

1 cup fresh farmers cheese (you can also substitute with ricotta cheese)

1 cup baby arugula

Traditional balsamic vinegar

Salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat grill pan to medium high heat.  Toss fruit with a light drizzle of olive oil to lightly coat and set aside.  Drizzle bread slices lightly with olive oil and grill until slightly charred on one side then turn bread and finish grilling so both sides are toasted.  Remove from grill and rub each slice with garlic clove on one side to just melt in a light garlic flavor.  Add the nectarines to the grill pan and cook on medium- medium low until light grill marks appear about 2 minutes per side. 

Now it’s time to layer the dish so start with the slice of grilled bread with garlic side up.  Spread with a generous layer of the farmers cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Next layer on the fruit in a single layer over the cheese and finally top with baby arugula and a drizzle of balsamic and extra virgin olive oil.  Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Bon Appetit!

Watch our step by step video here!