Summer fruit salad with peach & mint vinaigrette

The peach and mint infused vinegar I posted earlier in the week makes a great base for a sweet and tangy vinaigrette to dress this summer fruit salad. Strawberries in particular love a good smack of vinegar, and the fresh flavours of mint and basil really make this salad pop.

Ingredients

• Peach and mint vinaigrette
• 2 tbsp muscovado sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 4tbsp peach and mint infused vinegar
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, finely sliced

• Fruit salad
• Use the freshest, juiciest summer fruit available. I used:
• 3 peaches, stoned and cut into chunks
• 3 nectarines, stoned and cut into chunks
• 4 large plums, stoned and cut into chunks
• 1 punnet strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 ½ cups grapes (seedless is best)
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
• Toasted coconut – I made my own by peeling thin strips of fresh coconut with a potato peeler and then toasting in a hot oven for a few minutes - much more special than desiccated, but if you are short on time, desiccated is fine.

Method

• Peach and mint vinaigrette
• Dissolve muscovado sugar in water (if you don’t have muscovado you can always substitute brown sugar, or use honey and reduce the amount of water). Add the vinegar and mint leaves, stir to combine.

• Fruit salad
• 1. Combine all fruits in a large bowl, reserving coconut for serving.
• 2. Pour dressing over the fruits and toss. You can do this a few hours before serving to let the flavours penetrate the fruit, but be aware that the basil and mint will bruise, so best to add these at the last minute.
• 3. Serve in glasses, topped with toasted coconut.