Salad of peaches and cheese

I've recently been on a trip to Egypt. The food was simple but good - things like smokey baba ghanoush (or baba ghanoug as the Egyptians have it), and falafel (spicy and bright green inside due to being made from broad beans, rather than chick peas as is more common in other countries).

Flat Egyptian breads, slightly similar to pitta but round and usually made with a mixture of white and wholemeal flour, are consumed at every opportunity and are bought by the carrier bag full.

I was struck by the fruit, piled up in abundance at roadside stalls, in shops, on donkey carts, even on pavements.

Egypt is blessed with a climate which can grow all kinds of fruit, from the temperate to the tropical - strawberries, peaches, melons, oranges, bananas, figs, dates, mangoes... It was the wrong time of year for the last three but all the others were there in abundance. A properly ripe peach is one of my favourite things in the world, but hard to obtain in the UK. So I smuggled a few back in my suitcase. It must be said that ripe peaches don't take well to air travel, but with a few bruises cut out, they were fine to go in this salad (which I don't claim is in any way Egyptian).

Use the ripest peaches you can find, but if they veer towards hard rather than juicy, try halving them and roasting them for five to 10 minutes, drizzled with a little honey.

The point of the salad is the ripe, juicy sweetness contrasting with the creaminess of the cheese. It's simple but so, so delicious.

Read another recipe inspired by my trip to Egypt.

Ingredients

Serves 2

About 50g wild rocket (or a couple of good handfuls)
1oz/ 25g/ a small handful pecans
A few slices of ripe Brie, or blue Brie, or other mild creamy blue cheese
1 large ripe peach or 2 small ones

For the dressing (optional): Lemon juice and olive oil/walnut oil/ hazelnut oil

Method

Begin by toasting the pecans in a large pan for a minute or until just beginning to acquire a richer colour and flavour.

I don't necessarily dress the rocket leaves, but if you want to, drizzle a little lemon and olive oil dressing over the leaves at this stage (walnut or hazelnut oil would be delicious in place of the olive oil if you have any).

Cut the peach into slices or pieces and arrange over the leaves, with the nuts and cheese. That's all there is to it.