4 slices of sourdough bread
1 small garlic clove, peeled
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
12 fresh figs, halved
½ ripe rockmelon, seeds and rind removed, cut into chunks
2 tbsp fig vincotto
2 cups fresh rocket
½ cup red piquillo peppers (optional)
TO SERVE: fresh mint
1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Rub slices of bread with garlic and top with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
2Place figs, rockmelon, vincotto, rocket and peppers, if using, in a large bowl. Add bread and drizzle with extra olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine.
3Rest for 20 minutes to allow flavours to combine and absorb into bread. Serve on a platter scattered with freshly torn mint.
What’s more summery than this fig and melon salad – and what better wine to enhance the summery feel than a crisp, dry rosé? Dominque Portet created his eponymous Rosé almost 20 years ago (after a sabbatical in his native France), well before the current fad for blushing wines. It’s a counter-intuitive blend of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, its depth and structure underpinning the bright red berry fruit flavours. A nip of lemon bright acidity cuts a swathe through the unctuous vincotto, happily interplaying with the peppery flavours of the rocket.