A salad of peach, shiso and mozzarella... & our week's menu

I come to you today with a simple salad and our week's menu in hope it can spark some ideas for your family.
If you have grabbed some of the last peaches of the season this weekend, perhaps to try your hand at this peach buttermilk sherbet, or perhaps this peach lavender custard I posted a couple of years ago, this salad is perfect for those few ripe peaches left over.





I was kindly sent a copy of the cookbook Frenchie, New Bistro Cooking, by Greg Marchand, full of mouth-watering French-inspired recipes for each season. I couldn't resist this salad. Marchand uses smoked mozzarella for it, which would be lovely, but I couldn't resist burrata, that super creamy cloud of heaven of a mozzarella that makes your whole body relax in one bite :-) The combination of flavors is simply wonderful. And Pablo has been particularly fond of peaches in salads this summer. (We've also made this chards salad from The Vanilla Bean Blog with peaches instead of oranges, for a lovely outcome.) He's also been eating the shiso leaves right off the plant.

Our week's menu is right after the recipe, I have been inspired by many recipes from some gorgeous food blogs...   Have a lovely, flavorful week :-)

Peach burrata shiso salad

Adapted from Frenchie, New Bistro Cooking by Greg Marchand

Serves 3-4 as appetizer

Prep time: 10 minutes

Age for babies: 8-10 months

4 fresh peaches (or nectarines)
1 pack of burrata mozzarella
8-10 leaves of shiso (or basil, or both)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
A pinch of fleur de sel

Halve the peaches, remove the pit, tear them by hand (for that rustic look!) and place the pieces in a bowl. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, the shiso or basil leaves (keep a few for garnish), and a pinch of fleur de sel.

Cut the burrata in four pieces, place in four serving bowls or small plates. Add a pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Add the peaches, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Garnish with fresh shiso leaves. Voilà :-)

I received a free copy of the cookbook from the publisher for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Onto the menu...

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: Truffle gouda, Petit Basque (sheep's milk), Goat brie.

Desserts: At lunch and dinner, I offer a piece of seasonal fresh fruit (sometimes with yogurt). For younger children or those especially sensitive to sugar, at night, I recommend sticking to plain yogurt (regular homemade* whole milk, sheep’s milk, goat's milk and Greek yogurt for extra protein) to avoid too much sugar before bedtime. (Offering fruit for the first three meals of the day is plenty.)

Our schedule has changed a bit and Pablo has started a new preschool where a wonderful hot organic lunch is provided, which the children help prepare (love :-)), and eat together.  So some lunches are at school and on the go for the grown-ups. Lunchboxes are only needed once or twice a week now. 

MONDAY

Lunch at school / on the go

Goûter (4pm snack) – Chocolate pudding

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: This watermelon almond gazpacho from Cannelle & Vanille
Main course: Curried roasted eggplant with smoked cardamom & coconut milk from Bojon Gourmet

TUESDAY

Lunch at school / on the go

Goûter - Peach

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green beans, potato, tomato, cauliflower salad
Main course: Espresso braised short ribs*

WEDNESDAY
In this busy life we lead, Wednesday has become a no cooking day for us, with a picnic lunch from Whole Foods salad and sushi bar with Grandma, and dinner at the Farmer's Market, where we also grab fresh produce for the next few days.
This week, we have a field trip with school, so we'll pack a lunchbox.

Picnic Lunch: Grated carrots, Spanish tortilla with spinach, ham & olive bread, grapes.

Goûter – Chocolate French Macaron (Pablo's favorite!)

Dinner at the Farmer's Market 
(Some of Pablo's favorites: Oysters, musubi rice balls, Basil cilantro quesadillas, cherry tomatoes, grape leaves, almond gelato)

THURSDAY

Lunch at school / on the go

Goûter - Apple

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Baby bok choy cashew avocado salad from the blog Café Sucré Farine.
Main course: Whole chicken (roasted in Dutch oven with onions)

FRIDAY

Lunch 
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Authentic Greek Salad
Main course: Leftover cold chicken

Goûter - Pear

Dinner 
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Pear, celery, cucumber salad*
Main course: Vegetable blue corn bread inspired by Bojon Gourmet

SATURDAY

Lunchbox for Spanish class: Quinoa crudites salad, smoked salmon, Petit Basque cheese, apple. 

Goûter - Mango

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Honeydew feta mint salad
Main course: Lamb chops with coconut rosemary carrots


SUNDAY

Lunch out

Goûter - Nectarine

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Persimmon, pomegranate, cilantro salad*
Main course: Sausages, leek sweet potato gratin*

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