Last Sunday we had our first dinner party with friends in six months. For someone who loves to entertain, who loves bringing people together around good food, those six months felt more like six years. To say that I was excited to finally have some company would be an understatement. When planning the menu I vacillated between making all familiar dishes and taking the risk to include at least one new, untested, untasted recipe. Specifically the recipe for a Grilled Peach Salad I had been wanting to make ever since receiving and drooling over my signed copy of
Julien Perry's "Washington Wine and Food: The Cookbook". A gift from some very thoughtful, generous friends who live in the Pacific Northwest. In retrospect, I should have trusted my instincts, taken the risk, and made that salad. Because in all seriousness this may be one of the BEST salads I have ever had in my many decades long life. It wasn't just one of the most swoonworthy salads ever, it was screamworthy.
So why didn't I make this Grilled Peach Salad? Well, there were two reasons. One of the appetizers served included some Whipped Honey Ricotta and this salad had ricotta as one of its' elements. Two consecutive courses with ricotta sounded like overkill. The second thing giving me pause was the Fresno chile, one of the ingredients in the marinade and dressing. Having never tasted a Fresno chile before I didn't know its' heat level was similar to a jalapeno, although the Fresno chile has a bit more of kick. Or that it had a fruitier, smokier taste, adding more complex flavors to finished dishes. And as good as the description of the recipe sounded "...the caramelized sweetness of grilled peaches providing a clean contrast to the ricotta and Marcona almonds", my spiciness hesitancy and reluctance at experimenting at a long awaited gathering held me back.
Had I been able to dismiss those things, I genuinely believe everyone at the table would have been blown away by this Grilled Peach Salad. And even forgiven me for serving them a meal with ricotta redundancy.
To get perfectly sized peach wedges, first cut each peach in half. Then cut each peach half in half, then each half in half. Are you with me? By doing this, you will end up with 8 evenly sized wedges from each peach. Note: The recipe for the Grilled Peach Salad with Honey Ricotta and Prosciutto is amenable to adjusting both upward and downward.
The marinade for the peaches will be used to make the dressing, so be sure not to throw it away after the peaches have marinated for 30 minutes. Note: You can make the marinade several hours ahead, but don't add in the peaches until 30 minutes before you are ready to assemble the salad.
Letting the peaches marinade in a flat bottomed dish helps to ensure they marinate evenly.
Grilling the marinated peaches over high heat slightly caramelizes them as well as amplifies their flavor with the added smokiness. Scallions (or green onions) not only become caramelized when grilled, their onion flavor shifts from a strong raw bite to a more tender, sweeter, subtler onion flavor.
The only real substantive change made to the inspiration recipe was adding some honey. in addition to the olive oil, to the ricotta. If you can, make your own ricotta (recipe linked below in notes) as it is significantly better than anything store bought. Suggesting slightly increased amounts of the fresh herbs used as well as finishing the salad with some flaky sea salt (versus Kosher salt) were merely subtle changes. But every element, every ingredient in this salad matters. To leave any one of them out would significantly alter it's incredible delectability and savoriness.
Some salads lend themselves to be being served on a platter, but this one is best when individually plated. The extra effort you put into assembling this salad is a small price to pay for the reaction your friends and family will have to its' impressively stunning presentation. But it's the interplay of flavors and textures from each of the salad's intriguing elements that makes it one of the most divine salads to have ever been created.
As much as I like to change my menu whenever friends return here for a meal, I am seriously considering making this Grilled Peach Salad with Honey Ricotta and Prosciutto my signature house salad. At least as long as peaches are in season.
For those of you mourning the loss of going out regularly to dine at your favorite restaurant(s), this salad will definitely help to assuage your longing. Eating at home and being able to comfortably invite a small group of friends for a meal might actually be a silver lining in this ever changing new normal. The intimacy of a great home cooked meal with friends gathered around your table is unlike anything you might experience in a restaurant.
With peaches now in season, it could not be a more perfect time to make this magnificent, swoonworthy, sumptuous salad. And, if by chance you needed a reason to invite friends or family over for a meal, this is more than reason enough. Once you taste the flavors in this salad, you will understand why it ranks up there with the BEST salads ever.
Recipe
Grilled Peach Salad with Honey Ricotta and Prosciutto (slight adaptations to Jason Wilson's Grilled Peach Salad with Ricotta and Prosciutto as shared in Julien Perry's "Washington Wine and Food: The Cookbook" )
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons good quality honey
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Sauvignon Blanc
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped Fresno chile (See notes)
4 large skin on yellow peaches, pitted and cut into wedges (See notes)
1 cup homemade honey ricotta or whole milk store bought ricotta mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey
5-6 scallions
2-3 cups baby arugula
10-12 mint leaves, torn into pieces
5-6 large basil leaves, torn into pieces
8 thin slices of prosciutto
1/2 cup of Marcona Almonds
Flaky sea salt for finishing
Directions
1. In a medium sized bowl, combine honey, 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt, black pepper, and chile. Add peaches, mix to coat and set aside for 30 minutes to marinate. Note: The marinade can be made several hours ahead. Cover and keep at room temperature.
2. In a small bowl add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the honeyed ricotta. Mix well until mixture has a slightly creamy texture.
3. Preheat grill to high heat. Note: Grilling can be done on a grill pan placed on the stove top or on a grill.
4. Remove peaches from the marinade but reserve the marinade!
5. Grill peach wedges for 45-60 seconds on each side or until grill marks on each side. Transfer grilled peaches to a large platter.
6. Grill scallions for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they have grill/char marks. Remove any of the severely charred (blackened) green tops after transferring to a cutting board. Cut charred scallions into large chunks.
7. To the reserved marinade, add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, the remaining 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and the scallions. Mix to combine to create the dressing.
8. In a large bowl, mix together the arugula, mint, and basil. Toss with only 1-2 Tablespoons of the dressing. You don't want to overdress the greens.
9. On individual plates, spread about 3 Tablespoons of the ricotta on one side of the plate (do not spread too thin); add a large handful of the arugula/herb mixture; arrange peaches (4-6 wedges per plate); and add 2 rolled pieces of prosciutto. Lightly drizzle with the remaining dressing. Note: You might not use all of it.
10. Sprinkle about 8-10 marcona almonds on top of the salad. Finish with some flaky sea salt.
11. Serve with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or a great Grenache Blanc.
Notes: (1) Recommend removing the seeds of the Fresno chile before finely chopping. (2) Peaches need to be ripe but not too ripe. After cutting each peach in half, cut each half into 4 wedges. Each peach will yield 8 wedges. (3) The recipe for homemade ricotta can be found here. To make the Honey Ricotta for this recipe add only one teaspoon of honey and one Tablespoon of olive oil per cup of ricotta. If not using a homemade ricotta use only a whole ricotta.
