As the end of summer approaches, the juicy, ripe nectarines and peaches are fast disappearing from the farmer’s market. The heat wave, however, is still here; so this week I decided to celebrate the passing of the summer produce season with a cold chicken salad and caramelized nectarines. To be fair, I must credit the idea of caramelizing nectarines with onion to the folks at Christine’s. The nectarines at said restaurant were plated with a fish entrée, and at the time I thought to myself, “This would be great with a salad.” So here’s the breakdown of my procedure:

Breaded Chicken
chicken breasts, 3 lbs
leftover panko breading from the freezer (see my article on the ono)
egg
vegetable oil
cayenne pepper

salt
pepper

1. Heat up a skillet with a little vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking tray with foil and place in the oven.
3. Prepare an egg wash with one fresh egg, a little vegetable oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
4. When the skillet is hot, immerse a single breast in the egg wash and quickly apply the panko breading. Then immediately transfer the breast to the skillet. Repeat this process for all the chicken (or for as many pieces as will comfortably fit in the pan) and sear the breasts on both sides.
5. Transfer the chicken to the tray in the oven. Bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat is 165°F. Remove to a separate plate.
6. After the chicken breasts have rested (and cooled somewhat), slice into long pieces ½-¾ inch wide. Chill in the fridge.

Carmelized Nectarines 6 yellow nectarines, seed removed and sliced ½ red onion sliced very thinly ½ cup green onions, white parts only chopped ½ cup celery, lower part of the stem only chopped* sugar lemon juice

* NB: I was on the phone and actually forgot to add these to the mix. Doh!

1. Heat up a skillet with a little vegetable oil over medium heat.
2. When the pan is hot, add the onions, green onions, and celery for one minute.
3. Mix in the slices of yellow nectarine. Sprinkle the contents of the pan with a little sugar and lemon juice to jump start the carmelization process and prevent the fruit from turning brown.
4. When the nectarines have caramelized, remove them to a separate container and chill in the fridge.

Yogurt Dressing about 20 oz lowfat natural yogurt (no gelatin or "food starch" for me, thanks!) Maharajah curry powder* garam masala Punjabi style garlic powder cayenne pepper salt sugar

* NB: If you can, grind your own mix of whole spices to achieve a superior flavor. Right now, while I’m searching for the perfect spice grinder, I’m stuck using Penzey’s—not bad, by any means, but not the best. (And no, not a coffee grinder! A SPICE grinder! No plastic tops to absorb the oils of the spices, a removable container, easy to wash, high powered, will not warm my spices or take forever to grind… I’m a bit picky if you haven’t noticed.)

To assemble the salad, lay down a bed of arugula which has been washed and drained. Place the chicken strips and carmelized nectarines on the plate, as shown. Then drizzle the curry dressing over both and top with freshly toasted slivered almonds.

I was a little skeptical about the concept of a fruited chicken curry salad, but I must say this recipe produced a good meal. It’s not the best as far as salads go; however, it merits further experimentation. In particular, I’d like the flavors to be a little more cohesive. I’m thinking this dish should be reconceptualized as a tossed salad with arugula, smaller bites of grilled chicken, fresh herbs (perhaps basil), fresh nectarines, celery, and caramelized red onion. The idea of a sweet-spicy curry yogurt sauce should be embellished, maybe by draining the yogurt of some liquid and replacing with a peach nectar. (Or not—the nectarines themselves had a lot of juice.) Top with toasted almonds.