A Perfect Salad for a Warm Summer Day

Some dishes do all the work themselves! Putting this salad together takes practically no time.

Clean and cut the figs in quarters (one fig per person). Put some lettuce leaves in a salad bowl (I prefer a mixture of young lettuce leaves, sometimes called mesclun). Lay the fig quarters on top. Add some raspberries. Break off chunks of goat's cheese.

Depending on your preferences, season with some freshly ground black pepper. 

Make a dressing with 1 part apple vinegar, 3 parts good quality extra virgin olive oil and a little bit of honey to taste (or sweetener, if you are watching your calories). Pour some dressing over the salad and toss lightly.

These ingredients are such a strong combination that adding extra ingredients seems unnecessary. But roasted pine nuts (or caramelized walnuts) would add a nice crunch. 

When figs are in season, at markets you can often buy them really cheap. So buy some extra and use them to make fig confiture, or fig mustard!

Figs generally go well with cheese. One particular favorite is Blue Stilton. The combination of a robust cheese with the tender sweetness of figs is simply brilliant.