Dead simple to toss together, simply delicious, and deliciously festive for any summer gathering, this salad, from the nice folk at Southern Living, s gonna be a regular menu selection around here as long as the fresh peaches last.
Looking back to last weekend, I believe I would make only two changes: first, I would mebbe have gone for the Gorgonzola called for – or mebbe even a bit of Stilton – in place of the Maytag Blue I opted for; and second, I’m thinkin’ Iceberg in place of the Romaine.
INGREDIENTS
•Pecans
•Fresh, ripe peaches
•Olive oil
•Salt and freshly ground pepper
•Gorgonzola cheese, broken into 8 pieces
•Arugula (I used Romaine, tho’ next time, it’ll be Iceberg)
•Honey or Balsamic Vinegar*
•Freshly chopped chives
*I use 25 year old Balsamic vinegar from a place in Wisconsin. One taste will tell you to buy no other.
Heat oven to 350° and arrange the pecans in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, stirring after six minutes, until toasted and nicely nutty smelling. Set aside to cool.
Heat your grill to 350° to 400°.
Slice the peaches in half and discard the pits.
Season with sea salt and black pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.
Arrange the peach halves, cut side down, on the grill, close the lid, and grill for three minutes or so (our grill might’ve been set a bit lower, because mine took a good five or six minutes to get some decent grill marks; but it was a party and there was a lot goin’ on on that grill).
Turn the peaches over, place a bit of the cheese in the center of each, then close the grill and let cook for another three to six minutes, until the cheese is nicely melted.
Toss the arugula (or Romaine or Iceberg) with a bit of olive oil and sea salt and pepper and arrange on a large platter.
Sprinkle the lettuce with the pecans, then top with the grilled peaches.
Drizzle it all with some honey or balsamic vinegar and top with the fresh chives.
Nice salad; and it just goes to show you…
1: there’s a heckuva lot more to peaches than just galette, barbecue sauce, or butter;
and…
2: blue cheese makes everything just a little bit better.