Friday, July 17, 2009

A lesson in contrast...

When I saw this on myrecipes, I just knew I had to try it. Talk about summertime grillin'!!! The sweet juiciness of the peach paired with the rich, peppery bite of the arugula and then the tartness of the vinegar -- Wow!!! We loved it! And for once, we didn't change a thing!!! This is definitely a meal to impress!!!

Grilled Peaches and Pork

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large peaches, peeled, halved, and pitted (about 12 ounces)
Cooking spray
6 cups trimmed arugula
1 teaspoon turbinado or granulated sugar


Place each piece of pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each piece to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, juice, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon juice mixture. Pour the remaining juice mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Preheat grill to medium heat. Place peaches, cut sides up, on a plate; drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until pork is done. Set aside. Place peaches, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 4 minutes or until soft and slightly browned. Turn and cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Cut each peach half into 4 slices. Slice pieces of pork into 1-inch-thick strips. Drizzle trimmed arugula with reserved 1 tablespoon juice mixture, tossing to coat. Divide arugula evenly among 4 plates. Top with grilled pork strips and peach slices; sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.

* We grilled the peaches with the skin on, which made peeling afterward so much easier!!!

12 comments:

chow and chatter said...

this does look great love the color

Mary Bergfeld said...

The dish has great color. I'll bet it tasted every bit as good as it looks.

Kathy said...

Thanks ladies! It truly was wonderful!!!

Kathy said...

Rebecca, thanks for stopping in! Come back anytime!!! (we used to live in Harrogate, England for about 3 years!!! loved it!!! Sure miss it too)

Heather said...

I love to throw grilled peaches into our summertime salads. It really does perk up any salad.

Katy ~ said...

Oh my goodness does this sound FABULOUS! The sweetness of the peaches,the tart of the balsamic vinegar, pork done to a creamy turn. Oh, oh, oh!!!

theUngourmet said...

I have never used peaches this way. I really should, it looks delicious!

Monica H said...

I just ate the last of my peaches!

This looks like something my MIL would love!

teresa said...

What a beautiful salad! I have yet to grill fruit, but I'm dying to try!

Kristen said...

I love the idea of peaches in salad! I have an award for you on my site http://whatcha-eatin.blogspot.com/2009/07/award.html

Kathy said...

Thank you so much Kristen!!! I think I'm gonna let Tara answer this one since I've already accepted one of these and that way y'all will get to know Tara a little better!!! She's so much fun - you're gonna love her!!!

RecipeGirl said...

This looks wonderful! Not only is it just darn pretty, I love the idea of grilling the peaches. So summery!