Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Good As Gold Vinaigrette


I love going to the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market on Tuesday afternoons! It's fairly small and not terribly crowded; so it's a wonderful opportunity to chat with the vendors and to revel in baked goods, fresh herbs, live music, and gorgeous plants, fruits and vegetables.

Last week, I bought some beautiful salad greens that also came with an extra perk: vibrant edible flowers. Why be boring with iceberg lettuce, when you can have a freshly picked variety of leaves and the added bonus of a unique ingredient?

So I hardly wanted to pour plain ol' grocery store salad dressing onto such a lovely accompaniment to my dinner! And that's when I started tinkering with a little of this and a splash of that to make a light, sweet vinaigrette that was the perfect complement to the freshness of the lettuce and the twinge of zest from the flowers.

I started with the basics: oil and vinegar. From there, I simply used what I had - leftover pineapple juice, a lime waiting for a purpose in life, and a touch of hot sauce when the vinaigrette just needed a little bit of oomph.

This dressing would be ideal for any salad featuring chicken or fruit, as well, if you turn it into a meal rather than a side dish.

Good As Gold Vinaigrette

1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon balsamic vinegar (see note below)
1 tablespoon pineapple juice concentrate
juice from 1/4 lime
pinch of kosher salt
4 drops cayenne pepper sauce

Whisk together all ingredients, and drizzle over salad.

Note: Lemon balsamic vinegar is available at Fustini's Oils and Vinegars, a proud Michigan-based franchise. You can use 1/2 tablespoon each of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice as a substitute for the lemon balsamic vinegar.


7 comments:

Nicole said...

WOW. That sounds divine! I LOVE vinegarette dressing. The lemon sounds lovely!

Candace said...

What a beautiful salad, Mary! I love the vinaigrette that you made. I'm sure the lemon balsamic vinegar and pineapple juice combination made it extra special!

Unknown said...

Oh, wow, the vinaigrette sounds lovely! Perfect for a summer salad.

Cranberry Morning said...

I was reading that recipe and heard myself going, 'Ooo' when I got to 'pineapple,' and another 'ooo' when I got to the cayenne. This sounds delicious, Mary!

Anonymous said...

I've made vinaigrette 1000 times and would never think to add pineapple juice, and cayenne pepper sauce. What an interesting pairing. I can almost feel the dressing come alive in my mouth. Lovely photo of the salad too. I wish I could reach in and pluck out a flower.

Sarah Knight said...

Sounds delicious : )

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

sounds delicious!


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