Raspberry Vinaigrette and Salad

Raspberry Vinaigrette and Salad

In the Bass family, we love salads…especially with a light vinaigrette!  When we were in France, we became very accustomed the way that the salads were dressed…very lightly.  So, this is one of our twists on a French vinaigrette.  This would great as side or as the meal by adding grilled chicken or shrimp.  Make sure you are using a good quality olive oil and Dijon mustard.  Our preference is Amora moutarde de Dijon Fine et Forte!

Ingredients:

 

Olive Oil	1 cup
Red wine vinegar	¼ cup
Garlic Cloves	2, minced and crushed to a paste
Shallots	½ large, minced
Dijon mustard	1 tablespoon
Raspberry puree1	1 tablespoon
Salt and pepper
Baby Spring Greens	4 cups
Optional
Nuts	¼ cup
Goat cheese	¼ cup
Raspberries	½ cup
Chicken	1 breast, sliced

Instructions: 

Step 1:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the garlic, shallots, red wine vinegar, mustard and raspberry puree.   Whisk briefly to combine.

Step 2:

Start adding the olive oil slowly and whisk to combine…you don’t want oil to stay on top of the mixture.   You should be able to get most if not all of the olive oil to incorporate into the vinaigrette.  If it breaks (oil separates), add a little more vinegar and mustard and continue whisking.

Step 3:

In another large mixing bowl add the greens.  Spoon in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and mix with your hands (best tool for the job!).   The greens should feel slick from the vinaigrette, but not completely coated.  The greens should be dressed only a few minutes before being served.

Step 4 (optional):

Add the nuts, crumbled goat cheese, raspberries and/or chicken on top of the dressed greens.  Give the salad a quick toss.

Serve with some crusty bread.

Enjoy!

1:  Raspberry puree is simply one cup of raspberries into a blender and then puree.  Then take the mixture and push it thru fine meshed strainer to get the seeds out.