Sunday supper: Grilled Peach, Goat Cheese and Lentil Salad

Grilled Peach, Goat Cheese and Lentil Salad

Serves 6.

"I love a good sweet and salty combination and this salad really is the epitome of that," writes Crystelle Pereira in "Flavor Kitchen" (Kyle Books, 2023). Inspired by a salad with goat cheese, hazelnuts and lentils she had in Paris years ago, Pereira adds a sweet dimension with grilled peaches and freshness coming from herbs. Grilling the peaches caramelizes the sugars and concentrates the sweet flavors; the slight char adds a lovely smokiness, which is perfectly balanced by the zingy lime in the dressing.

• 2/3 c. green lentils, uncooked

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• 6 1/2 oz. green beans, cut into thirds

• 3/4 c. skinless hazelnuts

• 8 large ripe but firm peaches, pitted and cut into 6 wedges

• Avocado or coconut oil, for brushing

• 4 1/2 oz. firm goat cheese

• 1/3 c. fresh basil leaves, torn

• 1/3 c. fresh dill, chopped

For the dressing:

• 2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp. honey

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

Place the lentils in a large pan with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, stir in the stock cube and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce heat down to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand in the steam for 5 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing up the lentils. Set aside to cool.

Place the green beans in a pan with about 2 inches of water, then cover with a lid and steam over low heat for 5 minutes (they should still retain some bite). Drain and set aside.

To prepare the dressing, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Add the lentils and green beans directly into the dressing and toss well to coat.

Place the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over low heat and toast for about 10 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove from the heat and bash lightly to break them up into smaller pieces (but not too fine).

Set a grill pan over high heat (or heat an outdoor grill) and brush with some oil. Place the peach wedges, cut side down, on the pan and grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Carefully remove the peaches from the grill.

Crumble the goat cheese into the salad, along with most of the hazelnuts and peaches, reserving a few for a garnish. Add torn basil and chopped dill to the salad (reserving a small handful) and mix again to combine.

Serve the salad on a large, flat serving dish, and then sprinkle the remaining grilled peaches on top, along with an extra sprinkle of basil, dill and hazelnuts.