Matthew Woolen is a master pastry chef and has worked in a variety of Seattle restaurants, including gastropub Old Sage, Zhu Dang, and a gluten-free restaurant called Capitol Cider.

Matthew Woolen

When it’s stone fruit season, there’s no reason to only use peaches, plums, and the like in desserts. There are so many ways to put fruit to use in savory dishes, and this riff on Tuscan panzanella is a perfect example of that. This dish combines in-season tomatoes with grilled stone fruit, charred bread, fresh herbs, and a bright dressing for a refreshing salad that will get you through the dog days of summer.Grilling fruit can be tricky, as most fruits are high in water and sugar content, which can lead to sticking and burning on the grill. To combat this, it’s important to select fruit that’s firm and not overly ripe, and also work with a clean, well-oiled and thoroughly heated grill. The goal here is to give the fruit a hint of smoky char without turning it into mush.For the grilled bread in this panzanella, I prefer to use a fresh crusty loaf rather than the stale bread traditional to the Tuscan classic dish. This allows me to grill thick slices until they’re charred and crunchy on the outside, but still slightly soft in the center, which creates the ideal texture for soaking up the bright, lemony dressing.The resulting salad strikes the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and savory with peak season tomatoes, and juicy stone fruit. It’s an ideal palate cleansing course for your next summer cookout.

Grilled Stone Fruit Panzanella