RED (Recipe Every Day) - November 17, 2012

[teddy_radiator]

Spinach Salad with Chocolate Balsamic Dressing

This was a Valentine’s Day special at the Vic which grew into a bit of a phenomenon. We had planned a High Tea for couples on Valentine’s evening – a three course meal with a different tea for each course. It was a great success – the savoury scones were perfect, the Pork Tenderloin was melt in your mouth good and we needed something green for the first course. 

Tammy suggested a salad, and we came across a very simple and easy salad online with the most amazing-sounding dressing I’d ever head.

We varied it to our own tastes, then served it to the couples, who oohed and  ahhhed over everything.

Just to make sure we didn’t have a case of everyone being ‘stoned on Valentine’s Day-itis’, we test drove the salad the next week for our daytime customers and the verdict was unanimously positive. It became one of the most popular items on our menu. It is a lovely starter for a heavier meal, and goes well with quiche or other main courses.  People still ask me how to make the dressing. It will surprise you in that it doesn't taste so much 'chocolatey' but rather just like a deep rich balsamic.

Salad for four:

4 C baby spinach, washed and dried

¾ C mandarin orange slices, or sliced strawberries, or pluots (also known as plumcots)

1 C glazed walnuts (plain walnuts work fine if you can’t find the glazed ones)

½ C dried cranberries, cherries or any other small dried fruit

Mix the ingredients together; arrange decoratively on a large plate, allowing the bright fruit to peek through.

Dressing:

1 tablespoon cocoa powder 

1 teaspoon sugar 
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette (We used Seven Seas dressing, but purists, feel free to make your own)

Mix the cocoa powder and sugar together; add to vinaigrette and shake well. Use sparingly on the greens - a little goes a long way.

Comments

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

Well, this sounds easy! We always have a salad after lunch (the European way!) and this sounds like something I usually have the ingredients for. Actually, clementines might be good in this recipe, as they are in season right now. And I try to mix cocoa powder into stuff because it's a great antioxidant, as well as being tasty! My dressing of choice is balsamic vinegar mixed with walnut oil (Omega 3s!). Bottled dressings generally have high-fructose corn syrup, which I would stake though the heart if it had one. Yeah... i'm ganking this!

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

It's a really easy recipe, and the salad always tastes so nice. I hope you'll enjoy it!

[kittylefish.livejournal.com]

hey, mimi, what are your proportions on the balsamic vinegar mixed with walnut oil, and do you put in anything else? thanks. :D

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

I don't measure. I've got those speed pourers that bars usually stick in bottles of booze. I put them in my walnut oil and my balsamic vinegar. I guess the ratio is about 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil, but only because balsamic vinegar isn't as tart as most others. Other vinegars, I would use a ratio of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. If you get quality oils and vinegars, you really don't need to mix in anything else, so it's more or less a time saver for me since we have salad every day.

[kittylefish.livejournal.com]

thanks. i used to eat salad and every day and would like to get back into that habit, and also would like to get away from using bottled dressings.

[of-anoesis.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that dressing sounds nom!

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

It's a lovely dressing, and it tastes very mellow, as if the acid is cut a little by the cocoa. I hope you'll enjoy it!

[of-anoesis.livejournal.com]

I've had balsamic vinegar with cocoa nibs before which was lovely. This sounds like a slightly more practical/affordable version.

Thanks for sharing!

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I'll bet that was delish! Yes, this is quite affordable, and a cinch to throw together.

[kittylefish.livejournal.com]

i love chocolate, so will have to try this (on some other kind of greens as a can't eat raw spinach).

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

‘stoned on Valentine’s Day-itis’ - You have the most interesting turns of phrase! The dressing sounds just weird enough that I'll have to try it.