Rosemary - Peach Salad

I house sat this summer, and several weeks ago I was locked in a chicken coop.
Twice. Within a couple days.
The first time the knot on the rope to open the door from inside had slipped and come undone.
Normal problem I'm sure, it'd eventually happen anyway.
Luckily, I was only in there about 10-15 minutes, looking around and wondering how I’d get out, before someone showed up who I could call to open the door for me. I was certainly grateful.
You see, chickens are ok company, but not my most favorite.
Anyway, I "fixed" the door so it wouldn't happen again.

Yes, I fixed it by not really paying complete attention and tying the rope to the wrong hole in the latch. The door shuts behind you, and... it doesn't matter how much you pull the rope.
(Uh-oh and a bit of internal panic.)
The second time it happened was a Saturday and nobody else was around so I had to figure something out by myself. 

I found a stick on the dirt floor of the coop, and I was able to get it through a gap in the door, and wiggling it into the hole of the latch, jimmying it at the right angle while slightly shaking the door so that the latch would release.

While I was working on this, I had the feeling of being a monkey in a film strip (these things seemingly ONLY in film strips, the kind you'd possibly watched in grade school, if we had some of the same early grade school experiences- projector, rolls of film pulled from tin cans, and pull-down screen... the whole shebang), while the voice-over would say, "We had previously thought man was the only animal having the use of tools."
And I was glad no one was there to watch.

Long story short, it ended up working (yay), and again I was only locked in there 10-15 minutes.
Next step, I want to learn how to pick locks. It's inspired.

Why tell this story?
There's really no good reason, other than about the same time I was trying to brainstorm different ways to use summer fruit.
Good story.

And so, this is a fabulous end-of-summer salad with a great combination of flavors.  It could be your starter, or you could possibly make into a light meal with a little tweaking.
I've served it six times for different dinners in the past few weeks, and I made it for my own dinner twice this week, along with open-faced BLTs (also great for summer if you find some good heirloom tomatoes and meaty bacon). Needless to say, I think it's quite alright.
And a safe bet.
No eggs required.

Rosemary - Peach Salad
(Vinaigrette for 4-5)

Vinaigrette:
1 T (15 ml) finely minced shallot
1 T (15 ml) Sherry vinegar
1/8 t kosher or sea salt (a nice pinch)
1/2 t fresh minced rosemary needles (visually, maybe a hazelnut-sized amount)
1 t (5 ml) honey
4 T (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

proscuitto/speck (thinly sliced, about piece per person- depending on size)
greens (mixed, spring, baby spinach...) 
a ripe peach (1 large for 4 people)
thinly sliced green onion (optional, but nice)
minced parsley (ditto)
toasted sliced almonds (or pecans... not optional)
fresh basil leaves (also optional here, but a great addition- I promise, use if you have it)

Other possibilities: 
fresh mozzarella or burrata
cherry tomatoes
strawberries (maybe it sounds crazy, but I think a little bit would add some nice color and flavor here)


Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C).
To make the vinaigrette,  combine the shallots, Sherry vinegar, and salt in a small jar or bowl.  Let sit 5 mintues, add the rosemary, and let sit another 5 minutes. To the sherry mixture, add the honey and mix well.  If making vinaigrette in a jar, add about 1/4 of the olive oil and shake the jar to blend. Add about 1/2 of the remaining olive oil and shake well. Add the last of the olive oil and shake again to combine. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and set aside.
(If using a bowl to make the vinaigrette, whisk in the olive oil in a slow stream...)

While the shallots sit in the vinegar, crisp the proscuitto. Carefully separate the proscuitto and place it on a sheet pan in a single layer, and cook in the preheated oven 5-8 minutes. It will darken and dry as it cooks, but will finish crisping after it has been removed from the oven to cool. Move the proscuitto on the pan a bit to make sure it's not stuck, then let cool completely.

To assemble salads, place a handful of greens on each plate or in bowls. Sprinkle with green onion and parsley (if using). Cut the peach into eighths and use 2/8 per person, slicing into bite-sized pieces and distributing them over the greens. Re-shake or whisk the vinaigrette (if necessary) and spoon over the salads. Crumble the proscuitto over the salads and top with sliced almonds. Sprinkle with a little chiffonade of basil, if using, and serve.