This Grilled Peach and Kale Salad comes from one of Calgary’s most accomplished young chefs – Alejandro Buzzalino of Vendome. You can read about him here.
Vendome and their sister spot, Holy Cow Gelato and Donuts are featured partners in my company Alberta Food Tours’ Alberta Food Finder Self-Guided Food Tour game in Caglary’s Kensington neighbourhood. We love working with them. And, it’s been a treat to get to know Alejandro a bit better.
Really good chefs know how to extract maximal flavour out of any ingredient. They are also frugal. I asked Alejandro for a recipe home cooks could easily make. I asked him for something summer-y.
A Grilled Peach and Kale Salad did not surprise me. The fact that this chef – who has cooked in three star Michelin restaurants – included an option to use canned peaches, if fresh were not available, did surprise me.
Before dismissing the idea, I thought I’d better test it. And, do you know what? My family really enjoyed the salad with grilled canned peaches. I’ll be keeping a can in my pantry from now on. We almost always have some stray greens and a few leftover bits of bacon around. I’ll tuck this recipe into my brain and whip it up when I want to use things up!
Note: This post is NOT sponsored.
PrintGrilled Peach and Kale Salad
Chef Buzzalino recommends this flavourful summer salad as an excellent accompaniment to roast chicken (Tip: Use the grocery store as your sous chef to save time!), a grilled steak, or it can be enjoyed on its own as a light summer supper with a glass of white wine on a patio.
Make Ahead Tip: You can keep the salad and dressing (pre made but separate) in the fridge for up to one day ahead. Finish with the dressing just before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings
- Category: Salads
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients
½ cup cubed bacon (I used 4 strips of thick cut double-smoked bacon)
1 can of peach halves in light syrup (or use 3 fresh peaches if available!)
⅔ cup + 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black peppercorns – to taste
Salt – to taste
2 Tablespoons mint leaves
2 Tablespoons tarragon leaves
⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
8 cups fresh baby kale (chef Alejandro likes Deepwater Farms)
¼ cup grated Sylvan Star Grizzly Gouda (or Parmigiano-Reggiano)
Instructions
- Preheat a grill on high.
- Place the bacon in a frying pan on the grill to start rendering off the fat as the grill pre heats. When the bacon cubes are crispy, drain the fat and set them aside on a paper towel lined plate
- Drain the can of peaches, or if using fresh, cut them in half and remove the pits.
- Brush the peach halves with the 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil and season with the cracked pepper and salt then grill each side on a very hot grill for 30 seconds – just until dark char marks appear.
- Slice the peaches and let them cool in the fridge while you assemble the other ingredients.
- Blend the mint and tarragon leaves with the rice wine vinegar, honey, remaining olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- Rinse and dry the kale in a spinner then, place in a nice serving bowl.
- Arrange the peach slices on top, then crumble the bacon over the peaches and spoon the dressing over the salad, making sure each peach is dressed.
- Garnish with the grated gouda and enjoy immediately.
Keywords: Grilled Peach and Kale Salad
