Just as the summer days are counting down towards their end, my parents rent a house for our clan for an entire week in Fenwick Island, DE. It’s practically the last section of Delaware before the brightly lit, bustling stretch of Ocean City, MD.

We stay in a house equipped with enough rooms for everyone to have their own space, plus it has kayaks in the inlet equipped backyard, a screened-in outdoor patio and a pool table, so we do our fair share of family bonding, cooking and eating at our home base. My favorite tradition is our huge Italian feast; while none of us are actually Italian, we certainly love the food and make enough to feed twice our crew.

While all of my family members like to cook, we do take one night to get dressed up and have a nice family dinner out of the house, and our go-to place is Catch 54, a two-level, waterfront establishment. Last summer, practically a week after our summer 2011 meal there, the restaurant suffered a fire compromising most of the building. Luckily, they were able to work through the winter to prepare for the summer 2012 season so, lucky for us, we won’t have to skip a season at our favorite, home away from home, vacation restaurant. This warm asparagus and cherry tomato salad is inspired by the first dish I ever ate at Catch 54 and, while it’s no longer on the menu, it was so delicious that my taste buds remember enough of it for me to come up with my own version.

Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Salad

• ¾ cups balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Olive oil
• ¾ pound prosciutto, diced
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

Whisk balsamic vinegar and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer; whisk occasionally and reduce liquid to half over low heat, until thick. In the meantime, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook prosciutto until lightly browned. Remove to a pan lined with paper towels. Place back on burner, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to remaining grease from the meat and heat over medium; add shallots and cook until just softened. Add cherry tomatoes, then cover pan and stir occasionally as the skins of the tomatoes cook and they soften. Add asparagus, cover, and stir occasionally until bright green, approximately 5 – 7 minutes. Stir prosciutto back in, then remove vegetables to a plate. Drizzle balsamic reduction over and serve.

I know a warm salad sounds a little inappropriate for the summer, but picture eating this at an open-air restaurant on the bay with a cool breeze. There’s enough flavor and a generous serving of veggies, so it could be your only dinner item and not just an appetizer. I gave the balsamic vinegar and honey a good 10-minute head start, and it wound up being reduced down by the time I was plating all of the other ingredients. For a shortcut version, balsamic reduction is sold in the vinegar aisle and isn’t terribly expensive for the amount you get. Not that I ever have buyer’s remorse at the grocery store, but the amount of balsamic vinegar it takes to reduce down into a thick, sweet liquid is almost an entire small bottle.

Shallots work better than white onions or garlic in this recipe because they welcome the sweet flavor of the roasted tomato and even caramelize a bit in what’s left of the prosciutto grease left over in the pan. The asparagus responds well to the hot sauté pan and cooks perfectly to an al dente texture with a vivid green color. The final topping of balsamic reduction is like the cherry on top, and almost just as sweet; it enhances the healthy salad with a necessary tart kick, and if it were missing, the recipe just wouldn’t be the same. You’ll agree once you taste the flavorful veggies, salty pieces of pork and sweet, syrupy topping.

I don’t typically keep an eye out for healthy recipes, but I have to admit that quality is my favorite part of this one; pretty much everything in this dish is good for you. While it’s served warm, it’s just as delicious cold, and a perfect dish for both a casual, backyard party as well as an elegant dinner. I truly don’t mind eating a bit healthier this time of year, and this recipe gives me an excuse to do so. While it may be true that you can have too much of a good thing, this asparagus and cherry tomato salad is healthy enough that I feel guilt-free, even eating the whole dish.

Casey Ann is a local foodie and blogger. Check out her recipes and reviews at www.cleanpl8.com.