Peaches and Steak: A Match Made in Grilling Heaven

Grilled Peach and Steak Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette

Summer is in full swing and along with the camping trips and days on the lake, comes with it the triple digit sizzling temperatures. When the heat gets turned up there are two things that I want: a light, healthy meal and to not be standing over a hot stove or opening a warm oven making the house as hot as the outside. Don't get me wrong I love to cook, but there are so many other ways of making an amazing meal without sweating through it. How do I accomplish these two things? Only by using one of the best inventions ever. Drum roll please. The barbecue! Yep it's an amazing contraption that offers so many opportunities to try different cooking styles. You have gas versus charcoal grills. Then there are different wood chips you can use as opposed to charcoal. Not to mention the choice of grilling on a high temperature to cook your meal or smoke it using a low and slow method of low temperature for an extended amount of time. The options are endless. And you thought my answer was going to be to order pizza.

When I cook I love to cook with seasonal fruits and veggies and find inspiration at the farmer's market. I kept seeing all these amazing peaches and I have always had a soft spot for white peaches and decided that I wanted to incorporate them into a recipe. The combination of sweet grilled peaches and savory steak danced onto my notebook in perfect harmony and I knew I had to give it a try. I love to experiment with different marinades and dry rubs and with this recipe I wanted to tie in the balsamic reduction that I was planning to drizzle over the grilled peaches throughout the recipe by using balsamic vinegar in both the marinade and salad dressing. Add a few herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper to this wild mess I was about to create and my crazy idea for a Grilled Peach and Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette came together in perfect matrimony, or at least that's what my mom said, but you know how wonderfully biased parents can be sometimes therefore I am leaving it to you to try and see for yourself . Were my test buds and my mom deceiving me (with good intentions) or is this really a grille masterpiece?

Grilled Peach and Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Serves 8-10 people

Prep time: 30 minutes
Rest time: 2-8 hours
Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Don’t be scared of the different components of this recipe. They are all quite simple and just a matter of a little extra measuring and a few more dishes.

Red Wine and Balsamic Marinade

¾ cup of balsamic vinegar
4 cloves of garlic
.75oz container of chives (or a handful of about an inch in diameter)
1 bunch of Italian parsley
1 bunch of basil
1 ½ cups olive oil
¾ cup red wine
Juice of ½ a lemon
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Balsamic Vinaigrette

¾ cup of balsamic vinegar
¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves finely minced
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper

Balsamic Reduction
1 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sugar

Salad Mix
8 white peaches (yellow if you prefer)
2 lbs of Flat Iron Steak
3 5oz. packages of Spring Mix Lettuce
5 oz. package of Arugula
Handful of Italian parsley chopped
Handful of basil chopped
.75oz of chives chopped
Package of candied pecans
1 cup of vegetable oil
2 tbsp Agave nectar
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Directions:

First step is making the marinade for the Flat Iron Steak which couldn’t be easier. Give the herbs and garlic a quick rough chop to make them a bit smaller. Add all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is incorporated (approximately 10-15 pulses). Then pour the marinade into a large plastic resealable bag with the steak in it. Make sure to place the resealable bag in a bowl or baking dish so that if any marinade leaks out it doesn’t get all over your refrigerator. Move the marinade around the bag to get it disrupted throughout, seal and place in the fridge. See, I promised it would be easy.

To make the Balsamic Vinaigrette I use a lock tight round plastic container that you would use for leftovers. I finely mince the garlic and then add all the ingredients together and shake until it appears to be a thick consistency and the olive oil and balsamic vinegar have blended together. Right before you are adding it to the salad give it a few extra shakes.

To make the Balsamic Reduction pour the balsamic vinegar in a pot and put the temperature to high. When it starts to boil, turn the temperature down to medium and add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved into the balsamic vinegar. Let it simmer until it is about 75% of what you started with. You can measure by looking at the side of the pot for the different markings left around the edge from the balsamic vinegar. After it has reached the point you are looking for set it aside to cool until it reaches a syrupy consistency and looks like chocolate syrup.

Next cut the peaches in half and pit them. I found I melon baller works well for this job. Combine the vegetable oil and agave nectar in a small bowl and mix together and then brush the mixture on the meat side of the peaches. Lightly sprinkle a bit of kosher salt and cracked black pepper on top.

Place the grill on high and when it has reached that desired heat place the flat iron steaks on the grill for 4 minutes each side for a rare to medium-rare doneness. Cook longer if you prefer it cooked to a more well done temperature than that. Important thing here is not to flip it over and over again. Flip it only once and if you would like the diagonal markings on the steaks then rotate it 45 degrees halfway through on each side.

After you take off the steaks to let them rest, turn the grill down to a medium temperature and then place the peaches meat side down on the grill and cook until tender. This will intensify the juicy, sweet taste of the peaches.

Now it is time to assemble. Mix the Spring Mix Greens and arugula together in a large bowl along with the chopped basil, parsley and chives. Pour the balsamic Vinaigrette into the salad bowl, reserving about ¼ of the dressing on the side, toss until all the green and herbs are evenly coated and distributed throughout. Thinly slice the flat iron steak placing it in the middle of the bowl. Arrange the peaches, meat side up around the outer edge of the bowl. Lightly drizzle the balsamic reduction on the peaches and finish by topping the whole thing off with candied pecans. And then the best part, filling up your plate and tasting the efforts of the evening. Delicious!

Helpful Hints

ü  Organize and gather all the ingredients as well as the proper tools for the job to make it go quick and easy

ü  You can make the marinade in the morning, do errands or go to work and it will be ready for dinner time

ü  Make the Balsamic Reduction in the morning before it gets hot so you aren’t cooking inside in the heat of the day and it has time to cool.

ü  Use kitchen scissors to cut the chives that you are adding into the salad.

I Would Rather Have A Bouquet of Basil

My mom and I planted our garden yesterday and I was inspired to make one of my favorite recipes for dinner, which is my Chicken Bruschetta recipe. Planting my new garden of tomatoes, herbs and various vegetables made me think of the many days last summer, picking tomatoes fresh off the vine and cutting leaves of basil and parsley. There is no better tomato than one picked straight from the vine. They are so much more juicy and when you bite into them and they are slightly warm and sweet. So delicious!!! And basil, well I can't say enough about basil. The smell, the taste...it's AMAZING. I would prefer a bouquet of basil over a bouquet of flowers any day. So in honor of our annual garden I made everyone in my family's favorite recipe. Chicken Bruschetta on a bed of arugula. The peppery taste of the arugula goes perfectly with the sweet taste of the tomatoes and the salty taste of balsamic vinegar. And the crisp sourdough baguette bread is the perfect balance between the delicateness of the other ingredients. You can't help but crave this recipe after you have it. After the first time I tried it, made by Chef Marc Golick of Napa Valley, I ran home to reconstruct it and add my own personality and flavor to it. It is simple enough to make all the time, yet it looks and tastes so complex that you could wow a crowd and maybe even impress your mother-in-law.

Chicken Bruschetta      

Serves 6

Prep time:  30 minutes               Rest time: 2 hours                     Cook time: 30 minutes

There is a lot of prep work to do but it is so worth it when you taste this recipe. It is a favorite in my house and if it were up to my family we would have it for dinner every night.  Use my helpful hints at the bottom of the directions to make the prep work go a little bit faster and less painful.

Tomato Mixture

5 cups of Roma tomatoes chopped

1 ½ cups basil cut into ribbons
Handful of parsley
8 garlic cloves
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Chicken

4 small boneless and skinless chicken breasts or two large chicken breasts

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Finishing Touches

1 Sourdough baguette
6 cups arugula
Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Pre-heat oven 375°

First step is to making the tomato mixture so that it has time to rest. I think 2 hours is the perfect amount of time for all the flavors to meld together. Cut the tomatoes in half and then remove the seeds from the tomato by using a spoon to scoop the seeds out. Then cut the tomatoes in ¼” strips and then chopping them again into a dice. Now onto the garlic. Separate 8 garlic cloves from the bulb and cut off the root end then remove the garlic skin and mince the garlic and adding it to the bowl of tomatoes. Next chiffonade the basil and chop the parsley, adding both elements to the tomatoes and garlic. Last step in making the bruschetta is to add the olive oil, balsamic oil, salt and pepper. Delicately mix all the ingredients together and taste to see if all the flavors are balanced and lastly cover and place in the refrigerator to rest.

To cook the chicken, place the boneless, skinless chicken breasts on a sheet pan and pour the olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the juices of the chicken run clear. When the chicken is cooked thoroughly, let it rest for 5 minutes and then slice into pieces.

Move the oven temperature to 400°. Cut the baguette into ½ inch slices and lay on a sheet pan and place in the oven. Cook for 4 minutes on each side until the baguette is crispy, remove from oven and rub a skinless clove of garlic along the crispy baguette. The ridges of the sliced baguette act as a grater infusing garlic taste into the nooks and crannies of the bread. It’s a little extra touch that carries flavor into every element of the recipe.

Now for the crowning glory! Cover the baguette bread with pieces of chicken and then spoon the tomato mixture on top and finally a small dice (or shreds) of mozzarella cheese and place back in the oven until the cheese has melted. Finish up by placing the each piece over a bed of arugula (approximately 1 cup) and spoon any extra of the bruschetta mix over the top and around the outside of the plate.

Prepare yourself because you family and friends are going to be asking you to make this recipe all the time! And, why not?  You too will have a constant craving for this mouthwatering dinner and it’s perfect for the hot nights of summer just around the corner.

Recipe inspired by Chef Marc Golick

Helpful Hints

ü  The first step is to organize and gather all the ingredients for the bruschetta as well as the proper tools for the job. You are going to be doing a lot of cutting and chopping so having everything close by makes it easy almost like an assembly line of vegetables, herbs and fruit (tomato).

ü  Set up your cutting board as well as two bowls. One will be reserved for the bruschetta ingredients as you chop them and one is a garbage bowl. I got the idea of a garbage bowl from Rachael Ray and it has changed my life.

ü  If you have a Slap Chop, or something comparable, then you should definitely use it on the garlic. It will make your life so much easier than mincing 8 cloves of garlic. If you don’t have one I highly recommend buying one. I use mine almost daily.