Grilled Peach Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

The 4th of July in the mountains was beautiful as I mentioned in my previous post.  Although there were no fireworks due to the wildfires the weather was cool and sunny.  Besides having BBQ Ribs for dinner I also prepared a wonderful salad of Grilled Peaches, Arugula, Candied Almonds, and Goat Cheese with a Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Honestly, this could have been all I had and I would have been satisfied.

Days before leading up to the 4th I stopped off at the Silverthorne Outlets in Silverthorne, Colorado just about 15 minutes from Breckenridge.  I always have fun shopping there with all the great designer outlets, like Polo, LeCreuset, Coach, Nike, among many others.  On this trip a new store had opened just across from LeCreuset that I loved, called Olive Fusion.  Apparently there’s one in Breckenridge but I didn’t see it.

Olive Fusion is similar to Vom Fass in St. Louis, a store that I’ve mentioned in a previous post.  Only Olive Fusion carries Olive Oils, Vinegars and Salts.  Of course, I spent an hour sampling all the luscious vinegars and oils.

Knowing that I had planned to grill up some peaches I debated on their peach vinegar with other oils, but then tried the Pure Maple Balsamic Vinegar and was in 7th heaven.  OMG this stuff could be a beverage it’s that good.  I tried pairing it with their butter olive oil which was delicious but covered up that superior maple flavoring.  So instead I went with their Arbosana Olive Oil, mild and smooth and blended perfectly with the maple vinegar.

To go with it I purchased their Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, a nice addition to the dressing and very healthy. If you’ve never tried Himalayan Sea Salt you might be enlightened to read about all it’s health benefits - plus it tastes great.

I recommend if you love oils and vinegar’s like I do to check out Olive Fusion online or if you’re visiting Colorado.  I’ll stop my rambling and share my recipe for Grilled Peach Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Grilled Peach Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
serves 4


Ingredients:


2 firm peaches
Arugula
4 oz container of crumbled Goat Cheese
Candied Almonds (use this recipe and replace with whole almonds)
Pure Maple Vinaigrette (Olive Fusion or other)
Arbosana Olive Oil (or other mild olive oil)
Himalayan Sea Salt

Directions:


Prepare Candied Almonds in advance.  Store in a zip lock baggie until ready to use, if you don’t eat them all up at once.

Rinse peaches and pat dry.  Cut into wedges and rub with olive oil.  Place on a preheated grill and grill on each side for about 3-4 minutes or  until tender and nice grill marks appear.  Remove from grill and set aside.

Rinse arugula and spin dry, then set aside until ready to use.

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette:


6 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Maple Balsamic Vinegar

Typically I add a touch of Dijon mustard to help to emulsify the dressing along with a bit of honey or sugar.  However, this tastes so incredibly delicious that I didn’t want to mask the flavor with anything else.  Feel free to doctor it of course anyway you choose, but I love it just this simple.

Combine olive oil and vinegar and whisk together.  Pour over salad.

To Plate:


Lay a mound of Arugula onto a chilled salad plate.  Set grilled peaches angled up like a spoke around the arugula. Scatter Candied Almonds and Goat Cheese over the top.  Drizzle with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette and sprinkle with Himalayan Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper.

Serve.

ENJOY!

Vicki Bensinger has been teaching culinary classes throughout Missouri since 1992. However, she saw the need for more specialized classes and in 2004 established “At Home with Vicki Bensinger“, offering personalized private culinary classes for individuals and small groups (ages 7 to adult) in the comfort of their home or organization.

Having an In-Home Culinary Class is the perfect way to get together with friends while you learn to cook, hone your culinary skills or just have a fun time with friends and food.

If you’d like to learn more about her classes please email Vicki at: linking text or [email protected]

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Happy Cooking!

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