Salad with Peaches, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is one of my favorite salads to make, especially when we are able to find local peaches. Light yet satisfying. Enjoy as an appetizer or make an entree size and add grilled chicken or fish. This salad can look elegant and time consuming when plated, but is silly simple. Making your own salad dressing couldn't be easier and allows you to control the level of salt, sugar, and fat, not to mention I think it tastes much better. I made a very light balsamic vinaigrette and also made a balsamic reduction to go on this salad.

For the salad: (serves 2)
4c mixed baby greens
1/2c roasted pecans
1/4c fresh goat cheese crumbles
4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
1 peach, sliced thinly

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1c canola or olive oil
1/3c balsamic vinegar
1t fresh basil, chopped
1t fresh parsley, chopped
1/2t dijon mustard
1T minced shallot
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Balsamic Reduction:
1c balsamic vinegar

For the vinaigrette, in a medium bowl, add the vinegar, herbs, mustard, and shallot. Vigorously whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper. The mustard will hold the vinaigrette together mostly, but gently whisk again prior to use. The vinaigrette can be stored in a container and refrigerated for one week.

For the balsamic reduction, add vinegar to a small pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally until the vinegar has reduced by half. Using a metal spoon, dip the spoon into the vinegar to check the thickness. The vinegar should coat the back of the spoon and should stay on the spoon when you run your finger across it (also known as nappe). Switch the flavor up by adding a vanilla bean, orange peel, dried figs, or rosemary--just remove the ingredient before serving.

Forgot to take a picture of nappe, so this picture shows what the thickness should look like. (Obviously not balsamic vinegar)

Assembly:
Add mixed greens, bacon, and pecans to a large bowl. Starting off light, add just enough vinaigrette to coat the greens. Pile high on a plate. Top with goat cheese and fan the peaches on the side of the plate. Using a spoon, lightly drizzle the reduction over the salad and peaches.

Sorry for the horrific picture! Sheesh!