There are certain seasonal fruits and veggies that are just the absolute definition of the season we are in. Peaches are probably my definition of summer. Most of the time I eat them fresh, in a breakfast bowl or sometimes even grilled. This Grilled Peach salad with warm goat’s cheese and a honey balsamic glaze is the ultimate summer salad. If peaches are still in season when you are reading this, then run and go and get some! This salad is a must on your summer table.
Grilling the peaches
When you grill the peaches you pretty much follow the same process as when you grill vegetables. However they really don’t need to spend that long on the grill as you don’t want to cook them completely. You need a hot grill pan and ripe sweet peaches. Brush each side of the peach pieces with olive oil and place them on the grill only when it reaches a medium-high temperature. Grill each side for just a few minutes until the peach gets dark brown grill marks. This method will bring out the sweetness of the peaches even more. You get juicy, lightly caramelised peaches that are hard to resist.
Warming up the cheese
If there is a very sweet fruit in a salad, then you need some good quality cheese on the side to enhance the sweetness even more. Goat’s cheese is my usual choice and it works very well with this combo. Warming it up gently in a pan will make this salad even greater. Use a non-stick pan and brush each side of the cheese with olive oil. Make sure to use a spatula and not a tong like I did in the video. Don’t get distracted once you place the cheese on the pan, you don’t want to end up with a fully melted piece of cheese. Your pan needs to be on medium-high heat and the cheese only needs 1-2 minutes on each side to soften.
Final touch
Rocket salad and walnuts are also part of this gorgeous grilled peach salad and all this deliciousness is finished with a drizzle of honey balsamic glaze. The super simple 2 ingredient glaze that will make your salad look like a restaurant meal and will compliment all the warm players in this salad. This is optional but you could also toast the walnuts prior to serving them in the salad. This will bring out their nutty flavour and add an extra crunch. If you can’t be bothered to also cook the walnuts (like me sometimes) then it’s absolutely fine adding them raw.
We enjoyed this grilled peach salad recently on a very hot summer evening. Normally when I take pictures of my recipes I do it in a space with a very diffused light. This isn’t normally where the eating actually happens. However when I made this salad there was a gorgeous light coming through the kitchen window and outside was the prefect summer sunset. I took the picture right there where the salad was served and it really feels like summer when I look at these pictures. Don’t you think? It was so warm the wine needed ice. Ah, summer.
If you make this salad make sure to tag me on instagram @myfoodandhappiness. Seeing pictures of my recipes really make my day. :)
Ingredients
- 2 ripe peaches
- 2 discs of goat cheese
- 100-150 g (3.5 - 5 oz) of rocket salad
- 2 handfuls of roughly chopped walnuts (raw or toasted)
- olive oil for cooking and seasoning
- For the balsamic glaze:
- 1 1/2 tbsp of honey
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) of balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Start with the glaze. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine the honey and balsamic vinegar and whisk until it bubbles up and then reduce the heat slightly. Part of it will evaporate and the mizture will thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and place in a mug or small glass jar to cool. Leave it to cool. Once it reaches room temperature, place it in the fridge and it will thicken even more while you prepare the rest of your salad.
- Slice your peaches in two large halves or in 3-4 thick slices (removing the pit of course). Brush each side of the pieces with olive oil and place on a preheated grill pan on medium-high heat. Don't leave them there for too long, just cook each side for 1-2 minutes or until they get dark brown grill marks. Once ready leave them on the side to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- In a regular non-stick pan, preheated to medium-high heat, add a small drizzle of olive oil or brush each side of the goat's cheese and then place the disks in the pan. Again, cook for just 1-2 minutes each side but it might be even less than that. Watch it and don't leave it to melt, remove it from the pan after it has been gently warmed up.
- Time to serve - divide the rocket salad in two plates, sprinkle the walnuts on top. Add the peaches and the cheese on the side. Drizzle some olive oil over the rocket leaves and finally drizzle the honey-balsamic glaze on top of everything.
Notes
This recipe makes two individual salads. If you want to make it for just one person, simply reduce all the ingredients in half.