Salad with Cherries, Goat Cheese and Pistachios

I couldn’t help but buy a box of the pretty Rainier cherries from Washington State when I saw them in our market the other day. I knew I had to have that box of cherries, even though I had no particular recipe in mind at the time.

Normally when it comes to cherries, I like to make a clafoutis, a baked French dessert of cherries covered with a thick flan-like batter and served warm, dusted with a generous shake of powdered sugar. But it’s summertime and I’m really not interested in heating the oven to make a baked dessert. Also there’s something about a clafoutis that I associate with fall evenings and it’s only July.

As often the case, Cooking Light came to my rescue. As I flipped through a great article featuring twelve different cherry recipes, I chose the salad with cherries, goat cheese and pistachios.

I did learn something about advance prep and cherries. Thinking I was the smart one, I pitted the cherries about 45 minutes before I began to assemble the salad, which, by the way, only takes about 15 minutes total start to finish. Cherries are quite easy to pit if you have a cherry pitter. When I came into the kitchen to finish the recipe, much to my surprise the edges of the pitted cherries had darkened and frankly weren’t nearly as pretty as they were freshly pitted 45 minutes earlier. So a word to the wise – if you want pretty cherries, do not pit light colored cherries such as Rainier until the last minute.

Don’t let cherry season pass you by. This is a very easy recipe and looks quite impressive on the plate. To complete the meal, we served this alongside a grilled NY strip steak.

Salad with Cherries, Goat Cheese and Pistachios
Adapted slightly from Cooking Light

4 cups arugula
2 cups mix baby greens spinach
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion on the vertical
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pitted and halved fresh cherries*
¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
¼ cup dry roasted pistachios

Combine the arugula, mixed salad greens and sliced onion in a large bowl and set aside.

To make the dressing combine the lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt and pepper, garlic and olive oil, in a jar with a screw top lid, and shake well until ingredients are incorporated. Drizzle dressing over the greens and toss gently to coat. Check for seasonings. Top each serving with some of the cherries, goat cheese and nuts. Serves 4.

*Cook’s note: Do not pit the light colored cherries such as Rainier until the last minute. Otherwise, their edges will turn a brown. This I know from experience.

Printable recipe

This recipe will be linked to Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farms, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes, Foodie Friday at Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper and On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable.

The black-eyed Susans are still going strong. They look so pretty against the split rail fence, but they don't hold up very well as cut flowers.