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!

ROASTED BEET SALAD

So the other night with my banoffee pie for dessert, one of my side dishes was a roasted beet salad! This past weekend we went out for dinner to Scaramouche and one of the starter's was a roasted beet salad with goat cheese, so from this delicious appetizer, I was inspired! This salad is so simple and a great alternative to a classic green salad. Beets have a really sweet natural flavour to them, making it a tasty treat for those kids who don't like leafy greens! The basis of the dressing, red wine vinegar, dijon and tarragon are a natural combination, and a perfect light dressing for the beets.

Roasted Beet Salad with Tarragon

Ingredients:
- Large red beets (depends on how many people you are having, at least 1 medium size beet per person)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 3 sprigs of tarragon

Directions:
- Wash beets. Set oven to 400degrees F
- Place on a layer on aluminum foil and mix olive oil salt and pepper around with the beets to cover them. Then take foil and mold it into a tent shape (in order to both steam and bake the beets at the same time)
- Place beets in oven for 45minutes to an hour, or until for tender.
- Remove from oven and peel (you may want to wear gloves when doing this as beets do stain a bit!)
- Slice into rounds.
- Whisk dijon, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper together until emuslified. Mix in the tarragon leaves (you may chop them if you wish but I like the look at the leaf in tact)
- Toss beets in the vinaigrette and let rest until serving.
- This salad may be served warm or cold. ENJOY!

photo credit: my sister, nora b.

A Family Favourite

Here is one of my favourite new salads I love to make: Mushroom, Pancetta and Parmesan Salad

For the pancetta:
- Put 6 slices of pancetta on a baking sheet in the oven at 250 F for 20-25min or until crispy
- Remove and let cool
- Break into pieces

For the mushrooms:
- Slice 450 grams (20-30) button mushrooms 
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter on medium-high heat
- Once butter is melted add mushrooms and fry until crispy (or until they have a golden brown colour)

To assemble salad:
- In bowl place a handful per person of arugula (has a nice bite to it!)
- On top layer mushrooms and pancetta
- On top of that shave real parmesan over-top (nice long shaved pieces, use a potato peeler for best results!)

For a quick dressing:
- In a jar combine
      - 1 tsp of Dijon Mustard
      - 1/3 cup Olive Oil
      - 4 tbsp Champagne or White Balsamic Vinegar
      - Pinch of brown sugar
      - Salt and Pepper to taste

- Shake well and pour over salad


As Julia Child would say, bon appetit!