Cherry Salad
I follow a chef’s videos on Instagram named John Gregory-Smith. I didn’t even know he was a chef – I just thought he was a guy who loves cooking. It turns out that he’s written 7 cookbooks! I’d buy one but I recently purchased similar cookbooks so I thought I’d wait a bit. We definitely love similar cuisines.
One day I watched him make a salad with cherry tomatoes, cherries, pomegranate seeds, mozzarella, a lemon dressing that included pomegranate molasses, and I was in love. With the salad. So I searched.
I found his recipe for this salad on Ocado.com.
From the chef: “There is something so lush about the sweet tang of a juicy cherry and during the summer months, I can devour them in vast quantities, working at such pace I get stained fingers and what looks like badly applied lippie. They also work beautifully in a salad. That big flavour pops out when paired with tomatoes, basil, pomegranate and mozzarella. It’s delish as a light lunch or perfect as a BBQ side.”
We are a bit on the back side of cherry season where I live but I walked into Whole Foods yesterday and there they were!
Cherry Salad
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
½ lemon, juiced
1 pinch salt
500g (a good pound) ripe cherries, halved and pitted
200g (7 ounces) mixed cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
70g (2.5 ounces) pomegranate seeds
15g basil leaves, roughly chopped
200g (7 ounces) fresh mozzarella (I used burrata)
Pour the oil, pomegranate molasses and lemon juice into a small bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk until combined.
Tip the cherries, tomatoes, most of the pomegranate seeds and most of the basil into a serving dish, pour over the dressing and mix well.
Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining pomegranate seeds and basil to serve.
Because my cherries were so sweet, the pomegranate molasses was a little redundant. I’d prefer a lemon dressing made with a Kalamata olive oil.
I could seriously see goat cheese in this salad. And, when I tested out the salad, I added avocado and a little salt. Excellent combination.
I’m not really sure what Ocado is, although Nigella Lawson also promotes the site. It seems to be about groceries, plus recipes are included, and it’s tied in to Marks and Spencer in the UK.
About the Author: Chef Mimi
It’s such a beautiful salad. I love the idea of adding avacado. It might be amazing with bacon pieces too!
Thank You
SandyK
Oh yes, I agree. A little saltiness added to the sweet.
I know! I like that the chef used multi-colored tomatoes, but I just have this thing about eating red tomatoes!
Any one of those cookbooks looks fabulous! Can’t wait to try the cherry salad!
I know! That young man has been busy!
An interesting combination of flavors. I think I would like a little more of the salty too.
Yes! I like the bacon suggestion. And I’d still not use pomegranate molasses for the dressing.
I agree. I think the cherries will add the sweetness.
Lucky you, our cherries are long done!
I’m not surprised! I walked into Whole Foods and there they were. And SO sweet. I rushed to make the salad, although post-season for a lot of people. Sill worth getting in online.
Your salad looks divine Mimi, and so photogenic, I can’t wait until our cherry season so that I can try this one. His cookbooks look very interesting.
I could easily own every one of those cookbooks, except that I kind of already do, just by other authors. I love the food he loves!
I don’t like fruit in salads unless it’s a fruit salad. I’m very weird like that. But I do love cherries and the dressing sounds good.
Well, it’s all about your personal tastes, but I do feel like you’re missing out. Even apples or pears?!
this looks beautiful and sounds so delicious Mimi. I adore cherries but i don’t buy them often as they are so expensive!
Oh that’s too bad. To be honest I didn’t look at their price tag. I was so excited to get this salad on my blog before summer ended!
I’ve been trying out all sorts of new salads this BBQ season. Not tried a cherry salad yet, Mimi. It’s now on the list!
Good! You’ll love it!
absolutely amazing!!!!!!
Isn’t it?!!!
Looks like a very tasty combination, though I can see how sweet cherries and pomegranate molasses can be overly sweet. Sour cherries would be a good option. I can also see how a salty/tangy feta cheese would work well in this salad. Definitely a recipe to play with! :)
Definitely! Arugula, bacon, and feta!!!
I would have never thought to put cherry tomatoes and cherries together in a salad – delicious! I guess they are both fruits, right? Yes, I see where you are at with the pomegranate dressing… It kind of needs something light and bright with a little tang. Love the addition of the creamy avocadoes.
Nor have I ever thought to combine cherries and tomatoes. Cherries with arugula – yes! I think he did the right thing to use multi-colored tomatoes.
This salad is really beautiful. I love everything in it!
I hope you try it!
I spend the summers in a prominent cherry-growing region, where you can find cherry EVERYTHING, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of cherries in a salad. Cherry vinaigrette, sure. But not whole fresh cherries in a salad. I can’t wait to try it! There’s only about a month or so in which you can get fresh local sweet cherries at a farm stand, at that’s well behind us now.
I know!!! This is so unique, and from now on, when it’s cherry season, I will throw cherries into a green salads, just like I do with apples or watermelon!
What a strikingly pretty dish! The contrasting colors and tastes and textures sound amazing.
I am so happy that this salad is in my life!
Isn’t this incredible?!
This salad is unique and beautiful.Thos cookbooks look very interesting! I am woefully unadventurous when it comes to spices. However, a recipe for Lobster Aguachille by chef Eduardo Garcia, has me buying achiote and looking to make some interestingly spiced sauces. I look forward to exploring recipes that call for unfamiliar seasonings. :)
That’s the most fun I have in the kitchen – using new spices! Annatto seeds are fun to use – such a great color! We just love flavor. I’m glad you’re enjoying cooking!
Looks wonderful, Mimi! I’m in love too!
It’s so good and unique!
It was really so good!
Oh what a good idea! This is a fun (and different) summer salad. I do love cherries, but I don’t think I’ve used used them in a salad like this. Good call on the burrata – that stuff is amazing!! And I actually have that Mighty Spice cookbook on a shelf somewhere…it’s a good one if I recall!
Fruits in salad aren’t usually my thing, but this sounds quite wonderful and I think your idea of a lemon dressing makes sense, thought I would want to try the pomegranate molasses just to see…
I’ve heard that before. Personally I think you’re missing out! (IMHO) Pears, apples, berries, watermelon and dried fruits are all fabulous when paired properly with a salad. This one is super unique – it’s almost a fruit salad!
What a truly gorgeous and luscious combination! The photos alone are good enough to eat. I love that sweet and savory interplay with ripe fruits and buttery avocado to put it over the top.
Thanks! To avocado addition made it even better. No offense to the chef.
Wow, Mimi! This strikes me as quite original, and a gorgeous salad! I can’t wait to give this a try!
I hope you do try it. It’s pretty amazing.
What a pretty salad! It sounds delicious too! :)
This was so delicious. And unique!
Wow! such a vibrant looking salad. Love the colours
It is definitely a RED salad!
That’s my only complaint. And for an actual chef I was surprised. Otherwise he should have called it a fruit salad.
I can see why you are so glad this salad is in your life, amazing amazing amazing – thank you so much for being so diligent with your Monday recipes. I do not always comment but please know that I appreciate your posts very much – and the enthusiasm and know-how that go with them.
Aww, that’s very sweet. Are you still blogging?