Ingredients Grains Rice Black Rice Black Rice Salad with Cherries and Plums 5.0 (1) 1 Review Fresh plums and cherries add pops of juicy sweetness to this hearty summer salad. Black rice gives the dish a dark, moody hue and an extra textural bite. The salad builds to a delicious crescendo with its finishing touch: crunchy, craggy, blue cheese–infused breadcrumbs, which provide a lovely textural reprieve to the chewy rice and fruit. By Ann Taylor Pittman Ann Taylor Pittman For 20 years, Ann Taylor Pittman built a career of creating healthy recipes at Cooking Light magazine, where she most recently served as Executive Editor. She is the recipient of two James Beard Foundation Awards: a feature writing award for "Mississippi Chinese Lady Goes Home to Korea" and a cookbook award for The New Way to Cook Light. She is now a freelancer specializing in recipe development, writing, and video. Ann lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, their 13-year-old twin boys, one big dog, and one little dog.Experience: Before Ann became a food editor, she taught English at Mississippi State University. Ann translated her experience as an instructor into a career teaching people how to be better at cooking healthy food during her 20-year tenure at Cooking Light. She was nominated for a James Beard Award for her feature "7 Simple Ways to Become a Better Cook" in 2014. Ann is now a freelance recipe developer, food writer, and video content producer pursuing new opportunities to share her expertise in healthy cooking, love of the South, and passion for food and drink. As a mother of two boys and the primary cook for her family, she wants to set them up with good patterns of eating that will take them through to adulthood.Education: Ann is a graduate of Mississippi State University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature and a Master of Arts in English. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 31, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Active Time: 25 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 25 mins Servings: 4 Ingredients 2 cups water 1 cup uncooked black rice (unrinsed) 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 ½ cups chopped baguette, sourdough, or country white bread (about 2 ounces) 1 ounce Gorgonzola dolce cheese (about 2 tablespoons) 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided ⅓ cup chopped black walnuts 3 ½ tablespoons Champagne vinegar 1 ½ tablespoons honey ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup finely chopped red onion 1 cup halved fresh Bing cherries (from 6 ounces whole pitted cherries) 1 cup 1/4-inch-thick plum wedges (from 2 [6-ounce] unpeeled plums) Directions Bring 2 cups water, rice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, undisturbed, until water is absorbed, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff rice with a fork. Spread rice in an even layer on a baking sheet. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place bread in a food processor; pulse until pea-size breadcrumbs form, about 12 pulses. Using a rubber spatula, mash together Gorgonzola dolce and 2 tablespoons oil in a medium bowl until smooth. Add breadcrumbs; toss to coat. Stir in walnuts. Spread mixture evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until nuts are toasted and bread is golden brown, about 12 minutes, stirring once after 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool completely, about 15 minutes. (Breadcrumbs will become more crisp as they cool.) Whisk together vinegar, honey, pepper, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl; transfer 1/4 cup vinegar mixture to a medium bowl. Add rice and onion to vinegar mixture in large bowl; toss to coat. Add cherries and plum wedges to vinegar mixture in medium bowl; toss to coat. Arrange rice mixture on a platter; top with cherry mixture. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup breadcrumb mixture, and serve. Make Ahead Prepared rice salad can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 day. Breadcrumbs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days. Suggested Pairing Earthy, natural sparkling wine: François et Julien Pinon Pétillant-Naturel Brut Rosé. Rate it Print