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By Nancy Pollard
After owning one of the best cooking stores in the US for 47 years—La Cuisine: The Cook’s Resource in Alexandria, Virginia—Nancy Pollard writes Kitchen Detail, a blog about food in all its aspects—recipes, film, books, travel, superior sources, and food-related issues.
THIS UNUSUAL salad comes from an equally unusual grilling book by Adam Perry Lang and Peter Kaminsky titled Charred & Scruffed. His techniques in this book changed how we grill. Among other things that I now do is make an herb brush for certain recipes cooked over coals. We also now “scruff” (rough up the surface) the meat and make a wet paste to massage into it. I also enjoy making Lang’s salt mixes, which are baked. We serve this salad with grilled pork, and he suggests that it is good with fatty fish, such as bluefish, or any cut of lamb. You can prep the salad and caramelize the peaches earlier in the day. Don’t add the initial oil and lime juice or the additional dressing until you are ready to serve.
Peach and Nectarine Salad
- 2 tablespoons (24gr) white granulated sugar (I use caster sugar)
- 4 peaches, halved and pitted
- 1 tablespoon (14gr) unsalted butter
- 4 nectarines, halved, pitted and cut into 1/8-inch slices
- 2 tablespoons (30gr) finely chopped red onion
- 2 cups (1/2L) tender dandelion greens or arugula leaves
- ½ cup (13cl) chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons (28gr) freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon (14gr) mild olive oil
- Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- Aged balsamic vinegar or condiment, for drizzling
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling
- ¼ cup (35gr) toasted slivered almonds
- Spread the sugar on a plate and coat the cut sides of the peaches with the sugar.
- Heat a flat cast-iron griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling hot.
- Add the butter and let it melt, then add the peaches, cut side down.
- Cook until the peaches are well caramelized on the cut surface, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer peaches to a plate.
- Combine the nectarines, red onion, greens and cilantro in a bowl large enough to fit the combined ingredients.
- Mix the lime juice and olive oil, salt and pepper. Taste and correct if necessary.
- Add the mixture to the bowl and mix everything gently.
- Mound the nextarine salad onto a platter and arrange the caramelized peaches around the perimeter.
- Drizzle with some balasmic vinegar and olive oil. Sprinkle the almonds over the top and serve.
- Sometimes I have used almond oil in the dressing instead of olive oil.
