GRILLED PEACH SALAD

I can't BELIEVE I forgot to blog about this incredible salad! I made this dish as an appetizer for two of my friends Kate and Kelly earlier this summer and they loved it! I just adore peaches, especially in the summer as they are at their sweetest and juiciest point! I have had this recipe on the backburner for a while waiting for the perfect night to bring it out!

This salad is but of course a Jamie Oliver recipe and truly a crowd pleaser! Very Italian as during his time there Jamie found that fruit in Italy is often grilled, hence the inspiration behind this dish!

The peaches are served with bresaola, which is a very thinly sliced, cured, dried beef that you can find at Italian delis or more specialty high end supermarkets. It's very salt and savoury and holds up quite nicely with peaches, arugula and cheese! The recipe says to serve the salad with goat cheese but I decided to stick more with the Italian theme and opted to use ricotta instead. Ricotta is a very creamy Italian cheese made from sheep's milk. And for me the silky texture was perfect for a juicy peach!

Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
Serves 4
- 4 just-ripe peaches
- a few fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper optional
- some woody herb stalks or branches (such as rosemary or thyme)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon natural yoghurt or crème fraîche
- 16 slices of bresaola or Parma ham ***(I actually only bought 8, I think 2slices per person is plenty, size depending)!!
- a few sprigs of fresh tarragon, leaves picked
- 2 handfuls of rocket, washed and spun dry
- 100g goat’s cheese, crumbled

Directions:
- Preheat a barbecue or griddle pan until hot. Cut the peaches in half, then twist them to remove the stones – don’t worry if they break up when you do this. Toss them in a bowl with the chopped rosemary, a splash of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. If you’re cooking on a barbecue, throw some herb branches on to the coals if you like – this will give the peaches a herby, smoky flavour. Grill the peaches for a couple of minutes on each side until nicely charred, but not burnt!
- Pour the vinegar into a bowl or a Flavour Shaker and add three times as much extra virgin olive oil. Add the yoghurt or crème fraîche and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk or shake until mixed together well.
- Drape the bresaola over four plates, pinching it up here and there so it’s not lying flat. Place the peaches over the bresaola. Toss the tarragon leaves and rocket in the creamy dressing and pile the salad on top of the peaches. Drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil, scatter with the crumbled goat’s cheese and tuck in!