This week will hopefully see more delightful warm weather, so we can enjoy this dish as it is intended, alfresco.

It’s lovely to enjoy food out in the open air, and up here in the north it’s a window of opportunity that barely creaks open, so we must make the most of these fleeting warm days.

As the ripest nectarines are starting to appear on the shelves, I thought it time to wheel out one of my favourite salads, combining these lovely, perfumed fruit with the tang of cured ham.

It’s a classic combination, twinning cured meats with ripe summer fruits such as melon or figs, but for me the nectarine’s scent and flavour is just about the best accompaniment, especially if the fruit is roasted or grilled to concentrate the flavour even more.

Ham-wise, you can use almost any of the cured continental hams.

Parma or Bayonne hams are lovely, but my preference is for the ham of Spain, a country that has embraced the magical powers of the pig fully and with passion.

The very best ham is Jamón Ibérico, using the meat of pata negra pigs, who enjoy mooching around the lush countryside of North-central Spain hovering up acorns and generally having a whale of a time. The resulting ham is sweet and nutty, with a good layer of creamy fat, and is absolutely magnificent.

Recently, there’s been a rise in popularity for paleta, which is ham from the front shoulder of the pig, and it’s one of my favourites, especially as it’s a good deal cheaper than the regular slices from the succulent rear of brer pig.

Just make sure that you get the best ham you can afford, as it’s a real treat and definitely worth the expense for this salad. Do also make sure that your ham is taken out of the fridge and brought up to room temperature before serving.

Good cured hams need to be glistening and soft for eating, allowing their full fragrance and tenderness to flourish. Chilled ham may as well be slices of square pink sandwich-filler, so do please let it warm up for at least a couple of hours before serving.

The salad requires some form of dairy, and I think that the flavours of the ham and the grilled fruit require little more in the way of flavour. In fact, a strong cheese such as Parmesan or Manchego would dominate too much. What we need here is a soft, creamy cheese, with all the taste of fresh dairy milk. Ricotta, mascarpone, cream cheese or the very freshest sheep’s-milk cheeses would fit the bill perfectly, but I was lucky to get some fresh Yorkshire curd cheese, which is just about spot-on with this salad. It has a lovely bouncy texture, and a fresh dairy flavour that works so well. Ask your local cheesemonger if he can source some for you.

With the salad, I thought I’d add a little modern flourish with the inclusion of a vinegar gel.

All the rage with chefs at the moment, these liquid gels allow cooks to add all manner of liquids to dishes, but in a mess-free jellified form, so one can add a splash of, say, sherry or wine to a dish without it just making a messy puddle.

To make the gel, we use the setting powers of agar agar, an extract of marine algae. This vegetarian-friendly alternative to gelatine is miraculous stuff, and the merest small spoonful can set almost any liquid into a springy, smooth jelly.

To make the liquid gel, we simply whisk the jelly in a blender until it forms a thick paste, which we can then spoon, pipe or smear onto plates in whatever way we fancy. The liquid to agar ratio remains the same, so you can have fun with different liquids from wine to fruit juices and vegetable extracts.

How about recreating the proper chip-shop experience with battered cod and a blob of malt vinegar gel, or a spoonful of dessert-wine gel with a rich chicken liver pâté? Have fun playing with the technique.

And do enjoy this lovely summery salad while the blue skies last.

FOR THE SALAD:

Approx. 150g Jamón Ibérico, Paleta or similar ham

4 ripe nectarines

500g fresh curd cheese

100g watercress

200g baby spinach

4 baby gem lettuces

2 large-bulbed spring onions

FOR THE BALSAMIC GEL:

200ml balsamic vinegar

2tsp unrefined golden caster sugar

2g agar agar powder

EXTRAS:

A little extra-virgin olive oil

METHOD:

To make the gel, heat the vinegar and sugar until just about to boil, then remove from the heat and whisk in the agar powder.

Simmer for a couple of minutes and tip into a small tub. Allow it to cool, then refrigerate until set.

Scoop the jelly into a blender and whizz until a smooth gel forms.

Decant back into the tub and keep the gel chilled until you’re ready to serve.

Trim the spring onions and slice the white parts into thin discs, separating the rings.

Heat the oven or grill, and halve the nectarines.

Drizzle each half of fruit with a good amount of olive oil, and season well with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Grill or roast until nicely-coloured and soft. Allow to cool to room temperature.

To assemble the salad, spoon, brush or pipe a little of the balsamic gel onto each plate.

Separate the gem leaves and arrange them nicely on each plate, along with spinach and watercress.

Drizzle with a little more olive oil, and drape over the slices of ham.

Sprinkle over the curd cheese and finish with the slices of spring onion.