OK so maybe its not world famous (yet) but this fruit salad, based on peaches as you might guess, is good. Very good.
I created this recipe about three years ago for a cook-out. It was summer so I wanted to incorporate one of my favorite summer fruits – peaches – while adding options for a side dish and/or dessert. At the grocery store I found pears, nectarines, and a variety of peaches. In particular, I found white peaches which are near and dear to my heart. I have fond memories of the fruit from a white peach tree that grows in my grandmother’s yard in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
To get the right texture for this salad, look for peaches that are firm and pears that are just about rock hard, especially the Bartlett pears. In my experience, the more firm the fruit, the easier it is to prepare and the more fun it is to eat!
For those of us that yearn to have just a few more peaches in the fruit salad, this is vindication; a salad that emphasizes fruit with the focus on peaches and nectarines. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
MJB’s World Famous Peach Salad
4 White Peaches
4 Yellow Peaches
4 Nectarines
2 Bosc Pears
2 Bartlett Pears
Juice of 5 Key Limes, about ¼ cup
3 to 4 Tablespoons Honey
1. Use a paring knife to cut the peaches and nectarines into irregular shapes, slicing and dicing as you see fit. Slices, cubes, and random shapes are par for the course. Place them in a large bowl.
2. Peel and core the Bosc pears and slice them into irregular shapes, adding them to the peaches.
3. Slice the core the Bartlett pears, peeling is optional. Cut them into irregular shapes and add them to the peaches.
4. Add the juice of the Key limes and the honey to the fruit in the bowl.
5. Toss the fruit until all is covered in the juice and honey.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Peaches! Is this to balance out that free dessert you had at Daily Grill??
Bosc Pear? Never heard of it! I’m hopeless.
yes! i can say i had more than my daily serving of fruits after eating a bowl or two of this salad.
bosc pears are great! they’re the long, brown skinned ones. they are crispy and have a great “pear” flavor. in this recipe, i say peel ’em because the skin is good but can be a little tough and sometimes bitter. who needs bitter in this salad when its all about sweet!? 🙂
Sweet and healthy. Good treat for summer cook outs.
If the peaches are firm and the pears are firm, are they ripe and sweet??
I never know how to pick fruit right!
Your salad looks amazing!
hi Jenn! yes, this salad looks amazing (all the colors!) and tastes amazing too. Thanks!
as for picking firm peaches and pears, I haven’t had a problem with flavor. I mainly go for firm fruit for ease in preparation when cutting it; its kinda hard dicing a soft peach! 🙂
Look for peaches that are ripe, yes, but not so ripe that they are mushy. If you squeeze it gently and there is little to no give in the fruit, that’s just right. The same goes for the pears, although the bosc ones might be a little softer and still be OK.
Sweetness might be a matter of opinion. I find that the firmer fruits are not as sweet as ones that have ripened to the point of softness but still have a good flavor. So i guess that’s the difference: sweetness vs. flavor. You can always add more honey or some Splenda!