Grilled Peach Salad with the film Driving Miss Daisy

If you've never tried grilling fruit, you might be surprised at the results. Peaches are particularly great after a few minutes on the grill and are a great way to enjoy them while they are in season. That's where I got the idea to use them over top of a salad for a nice light lunch or dinner idea. Juicy grilled peaches, sweet and salty candied pecans, crumbled goat cheese, and a grilled peach dressing over a bed of fresh greens. The balance of creamy goat cheese, the salty candied pecans, and the fresh peaches combines the summertime flavors of Georgia all on one plate. Since the ingredients on this salad remind me of the great state of Georgia, I paired this with one of my favorite movies that take place there as well.

Recipe yields 2-3 servings 

1/2 cup of Pecans
3 Ripe Peaches
8oz of plain Goat Cheese
1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of water
2 tablespoon of melted butter
1/2 cup of vegetable or olive oil
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons of Brown Sugar
Kosher salt and Black Pepper
8 ounces of Spring Mix salad Greens

In a small saute' pan, add the pecans and toast them over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Toasting the pecans in the dry pan will bring out their natural oils and heighten their flavor.  Add one tablespoon of  brown sugar and the water to the pan and stir together until all the pecans are coated. Add a pinch of kosher salt to the pecans and set aside.

Pit and slice the three peaches into wedges. Cut the wedges just large enough so that they won't fall through the grates on your grill. Melt the butter and toss in with the peaches.

Preheat your grill to a medium high heat and arrange the peach slices onto your grill. Grill the peaches for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side or just until you can see grill marks. We aren't looking to cook the peaches all the way through here.

To make our dressing, put enough of the sliced peaches to amount to one whole peach into a food processor. Add the oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and pulse together until the peaches are pulsed and the dressing is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now to assemble to salad. Place the bed of greens onto you plate. Add a few of the freshly grilled peach slices over top. Add our candied pecans and crumbled goat cheese and then dress the salad with our grilled peach vinaigrette. The tender grilled peaches, the sweet and salty pecans, and the creamy goat cheese are a great combo with the sweet and savory peach dressing.

The 1989 Oscar winner for Best Picture, Driving Miss Daisy is now considered a classic in the film world. Starring Jessica Tandy as Miss Daisy, and elderly woman who has reached the age where she can longer drive herself. Though she insists she doesn't need a personal driver, her son Boolie (Dan Aykroyd) hires Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman).

Despite Hoke's willingness to escort Miss Daisy to drive her where ever she likes, she refuses to be taken anywhere by him. The stubborn woman soon lets her pride go and her and Hoke begin to form a unique and special bond.

Driving Miss Daisy is a film that tells a story about friendship and setting differences aside. Comical and heart warming, this is little left to the imagination of why this movie has remained highly thought of for over two decades. Whether you've never seen it before or have watched it a few times over, Driving Miss Daisy is one of the best stories ever told. Click here to watch the trailer for the film.