Salads should be a labor of love. They require time, energy, and, most importantly, intentionality. For me, a good place to start involves sourcing the main ingredients from farms. I spent my weekend visiting an orchard to pick peaches and nectarines (while finding peace around the trees by escaping all the noise from the city). Then, I hit up a farmers market and stuffed my tote with mixed greens, baby heirloom tomatoes, corn, scallions, bread, ricotta, and bone-in chicken breast. This recipe came together by experimenting with local ingredients plus whatever I had in my kitchen. The result? A salad infused with the season's bounty, peach glazed chicken, coconut butter seared croutons, and grilled stone fruit. All in all, my ode to summer.
Serving: 2
Ingredients:
Peach Dressing
2 medium sized peaches/nectarines
2 Tablespoons honey
5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons Carandini sweet white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon fresh garlic
Grilled Peach Glazed Chicken
2 bone-in chicken breast (about 10 oz)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/3 cup of peach dressing
Grilled Coconut Butter Croutons
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
Salad Fixings
Mixed greens
Baby heirloom tomatoes
Corn on the cob (with husk)
Scallions
Bread (I used a Batard loaf)
Ricotta
Olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Blend all of the ingredients for the peach dressing until it reaches a smooth and frothy texture.
Clean and prepare your chicken breast, and then add the seasonings.
Heat up the grill, and begin cooking the chicken.
In the meantime, slice the bread (about 1 inch thick).
When the chicken begins to get some color (after about 10 minutes), brush the peach dressing onto the chicken until it forms a glaze on top. At the same time, add the stone fruit (sliced in half), buttered bread slices, and corn (still in its husk) to the grill. Monitor and remove the bread and peaches once they have grill lines (about 2-3 minutes). The corn will take a bit longer (closer to 15 minutes)
Remove all of the ingredients from the grill once they are cooked. Let them all cool, and then slice the peaches, chicken, and bread into bite-sized pieces. Then, shave the corn off the cob.
Next prepare your salad add-ins (mixed greens, tomatoes, scallions) by washing and chopping them. I also marinate my tomatoes by adding a splash of white vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Once it's time to create the salad, add all of the ingredients, plus some dollops of fresh ricotta—you can mix the cheese with some lemon zest if you're feeling fancy—the remaining peach salad dressing, some olive, salt, and pepper to taste.
