Grilling brings out the sweetness of peaches and apricots and adds amazing flavor to summer salads. This beautiful mix of flavors really doesn’t need much of a dressing other than a drizzle of olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar and honey – the fruit juices release and do the rest. A flavored chèvre, like honey goat cheese, adds an extra element, however, a plain chèvre would be excellent, as well.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Ingredients
4 semi-ripe peaches, quartered and pitted
4 apricots, split and pitted*
2 T extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finish
6 c arugula, loosely packed
2 oz prosciutto, sliced thinly, torn into rough, bite-size strips
2 oz honey goat cheese (or other), chilled
¼ c balsamic vinegar (or 2 T 6-year-old balsamic vinegar)
2 T honey
pinch flake sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Steps
Preheat grill. Rub fruit with olive oil to coat then grill quickly, just until marked and beginning to soften, turning once. Remove from heat and reserve. Arrange arugula on serving platter, topping with fruit, torn prosciutto and crumbled goat cheese (chilling makes it easier to work with the prosciutto and chèvre). In a small pan over med-high heat, reduce the vinegar by half (if using an older balsamic simply skip reducing it). Drizzle vinegar and honey over salad, finishing with a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
* Nectarines or 2 additional peaches can be used in place of apricots.
