This is a variation of Honey Lime Ginger Dressing which is what I usually use on fruit salad. This day I was craving rosemary and had some lovely fruit to use so Rosemary Citrus Dressing was born. I hope you enjoy--
Rosemary Citrus Dressing
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 clementine, zest and juice
Place honey and rosemary in a microwave safe dish. Heat on full power for 20 seconds. Remove and allow to cool for several minutes. Stir in the zest and juice of the clementine. Pour over 5 to 6 cups of cut up fruit.
Hints: I used about a cup each of kiwi, blueberry, strawberry, mango, pineapple and red grapes. The flavor will go with nearly any fruit you have on hand. Allowing the honey to cool gives the rosemary time to infuse the honey with flavor. (You could quadruple these amounts, add some sparkling water and have a killer rosemary citrus beverage similar to this Lemonade recipe.)
With the idea of incorporating more fruits and veggies into ones diet, comes the challenge of maintaining the health benefits of the produce. A bit of honey with some flavorful component is a fine way to do just that. Ginger or rosemary or mint or vanilla bean--pick your favorite and go for it. Let me know if you stumble across a terrific idea we could all use.
Baby arugula is one of my favorite salad greens. The peppery, slightly bitter taste is a perfect foil for citrus vinaigrettes, which are my favorite dressings. The "baby" assures a tender leaf in a size that requires no chopping or tearing, facilitating a quick yet delicate end product. Kiwi has been called a super food--labels like that change over time but it will remain a super tasting food. And of course this was an opportunity to use pine nuts that I couldn't refuse.
Baby Arugula and Kiwi Salad
3 cups baby arugula
1/3 cup pine nuts (toasted or untoasted)
2 large kiwi fruit
Vinaigrette:
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely grated Balsamic Bellavitano cheese (or Swiss cheese)
Place arugula in a serving bowl. Add pine nuts. Peel and quarter kiwi, then slice quarters into 1/8 inch slices. Add to arugula and nuts. In a separate bowl, zest lime with a micro planer to get 1/2 teaspoon. Squeeze lime to get 3 tablespoons and add to bowl. Add salt and whisk in olive oil. Grate cheese with micro planer and whisk into vinaigrette. Check for seasonings, adding more salt if necessary. Whisk and pour over salad just prior to serving, tossing to coat leaves.
Hints: Buy pre-washed arugula or rinse and use a salad spinner or gently pat dry with a paper towel; the salad will be much better if residual washing water doesn't dilute the vinaigrette. Perfectly ripe kiwi are best. Over ripe ones will be a bit mushy and sweet. Under ripe ones will be too firm and sour. The cheese you choose to use for the dressing is important. Use a firmer cheese, one that will grate easily on a micro planer. The Bellavitano is not too salty and fairly mild with a sweet note because of the balsamic. Swiss or Gruyere are good alternative options, but follow your (cheese) heart and use what you love. I buy the Bellavitano at Costco, it is an American made cheese.
This is a wonderful salad that has pretty intense flavors. I like to serve it with pork tenderloin or chicken but it will stand up wonderfully with steak or roast beef. It also works as a main dish served with soup and a nice, heavy whole grain bread.
Fresh pineapple is a treat around here. Savoring every bit is not difficult because it is eaten with gusto. If there happens to be a little left over, this salad is a super way to use it. Healthy quinoa, lovely mandarins and sweet, chewy dates all tossed in a lightly sweet dressing. It's a keeper.
Quinoa and Pineapple Salad
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple
3 mandarin oranges, peeled
1/3 cup sliced dates
Dressing:
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root
1/4 teaspoon vanilla salt (or kosher salt)
2 tablespoons grape seed oil or other vegetable oil
2 tablespoons finely grated Bella Vatino Balsamic cheese (or Swiss cheese)
Place the quinoa in a serving bowl. Add the pineapple. Cut the orange segments in half and add to bowl. Add the dates. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over salad. Toss to coat.
Hints: Use quinoa cooked in plain water not stock. Have the pineapple in about 1/8 inch dice. Juicier mandarins are better. Vanilla salt can be made by splitting a vanilla bean and placing it in a jar with kosher salt for several days. It is lovely on salted caramel dishes. Taste the dressing and add more lime juice if you like. Or Salt. Or anything else. I buy the cheese at Costco.
My mom used to make this salad in the winter and pull out a container when she wanted to serve something that reminded of Summer. My brother Craig made some this past December and shared it with Bill and I when we visited in February. It holds great in the freezer for several months.
Frozen Fruit Salad
1 15 ounce can crushed pinapple
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 envelope gelatin
1/4 cup water
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups whipping cream
1 15 ounce can fruit cocktail
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine pineapple, sugar and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Stir into the hot pineapple mixture. Then stir in the cream cheese. Allow to cool until slightly set. Whip cream to firm peaks. Fold cream, drained fruit cocktail, cheese and pecans into pineapple , cream cheese mixture. Spoon into molds and freeze 12 hours. Dip molds into warm water to loosen and remove salad. Slice to serve.
Hints: Reduce the sugar by 1/3 if desired. I like the old fashioned fruit cocktail because it reminds me of Mom's salad but using a different kind of canned fruit works very well, too. Just make sure it is diced up nicely, so that the frozen product turns out.
Nicknames. Some are well deserved and some are not. Some are meant to tease and some meant to flatter. This salad got a nickname that was a tease but also a bit accurate. My brother Craig started calling this salad "Crisco" salad and unfortunately it stuck. My Mom even started calling it that. So now the whole family asks for Crisco salad. Doesn't sound appetizing at all, does it? But it is yummy.
Sorry about the hiatus -- Christmas was very busy this year and I didn't cook all that much. But I am getting in the swing of things again. The first salad recipe I made up because I wanted to use some lovely oranges I had on hand, and needed a light tasting accompaniment to a buffalo meat loaf I was serving. It turned out great. The second salad is my version of a staple from Austria via my son-in-law. Both salads are light and refreshing, fast and easy.
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Winter Orange Salad
3 cups orange sections
½ cup cranberries
2 large stalks celery
2 medium kiwis
Vinaigrette:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon grated ginger root
¼ to ½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon sugar
dash ground red pepper
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
Place orange sections into a serving bowl. Clean cranberries, chop roughly and add to oranges. Dice celery into ¼ inch pieces and add to salad. Peel and slice kiwi then cut slices into fourths and add as well. Make dressing by combining all ingredients except for oil and stirring well. Then whisk in oil. Pour over orange mixture and stir to distribute.
Hints: Sectioning citrus fruit is easiest if you first cut off the peel with a sharp knife then hold the fruit in your left and slice next to the membrane on the right of one section. Then take the knife and slice down the left side and allow to drop into bowl. Turning the fruit to the right, slice through the left side of next section and scrape the right side free in one motion allowing it to drop into the bowl. Continue with remaining sections. It is a fairly fast process once you get the hang of it. Check the salt and sugar levels of the vinaigrette to suit your taste. I wanted a savory flavor for this salad rather than a sweet one.
Cucumber Salad
1 English cucumber
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon dry dill
Slice cucumbers thinly, peeled or unpeeled. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Toss lightly. Allow to drain for about 10 minutes. Mix sour cream, yogurt and dill in bottom of a serving bowl. Add drained cucumbers and toss to coat.
Hints: Hot house cukes are ok but garden fresh cukes are better. Fresh dill is also nice. I use low fat sour cream and fat free yogurt. I like the cucumbers better if I slice them really thin--almost shaved rather than sliced--the photo is of a time they were not so thin. Other options include adding thinly sliced scallions or onions; garlic and/or lemon juice and zest; thin red bell pepper slices. You can make the salad creamier by doubling the dressing ingredients. Another possibility is dicing the cucumber rather than slicing. I have also made it with julienned cukes and that is nice for some presentations.
I feel the need to lighten up my meals this time of year, after the rich holiday foods and these two salads are perfect for that. A happy and healthy new year to you all.
Have you ever awakened in the morning and thought "I need more ginger in my life"? How about rosemary? Or basil? Maybe chocolate? There are five forms of ginger in my kitchen. There are three sources of rosemary, I planted four varieties of basil in my garden this year and I have five different types of chocolate chips in my pantry. Wow. Here are two different recipes that utilize ginger, which is apparently one of my favorite flavors.
Carrot Chowder with Ginger
2 cups finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cup milk
Place carrots,onions, ginger, salt and water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook until carrots are soft. Meanwhile, make a bechamel sauce with the butter, flour and milk. (Melt butter, stir in flour, cook for a minute. Stir in milk and cook until thickened.) Puree carrot mixture with a hand held blender in the pan. Then mix bechamel with carrots. Stir until well blended. Add 2 tablespoons raw sugar. Add salt and butter to taste just before serving. Optional: top with chopped fresh parsley to serve.
Hints: This soup is great the next day, too. The flavors meld beautifully overnight. Chop the carrots and onion in a food processor if you can--that makes it go very fast. I began freezing ginger root to preserve it, it is easy to grate directly into dishes when it is frozen, although it is not easy to peel but I don't bother to peel it for this soup anyway. Skim or 2% milk will work fine for this chowder. The raw sugar has an earthier flavor than regular granulated sugar and I have made this recipe with honey as well. The butter at the end melts into the chowder and makes it really silky; I usually use another tablespoon or two.
Ginger, Honey and Lime Dressing (for fresh fruit salads) 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3/4 to 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
Zest one lime and then squeeze juice into a small bowl. Whisk in honey
and ginger. Toss with fresh fruit. The best combo is blackberries,
blueberries, strawberries, and cantaloupe. But you can't go wrong with
pomegranate, kiwi and banana. Cherries, clementine sections and halved
grapes are fabulous as well. Then there is pear and raspberry---oh
my!---my mouth is watering, I have got to stop. Choose whatever is
fresh. Just imagine the colors in combination and do a monochromatic or
complementary scheme.
Hints: Any citrus fruit can be used instead of the lime-- orange or
clementine, lemon, grapefruit all work very well. The more tart ones might require you to use a bit more honey in the dressing. A micro planer is the
best tool for zesting citrus. It also works super for the ginger root-no
need to peel the root even. I use my micro planer several times a week
and have loved it. Best $5 I spent in 2007. I sometimes use the ginger
in the jar or tube for this recipe because it is so finely minced and
mixes so well. Ginger is supposed to be good for digestion and immune
systems.
Compliments come every time I serve fruit with Ginger Honey Lime dressing. It is one of my most requested recipes. This is my very favorite soup from San Francisco. It is served at the "Unicorn --Pan Asian Cuisine" on Pine Street in the financial district. I have it there every time I am in town and have tried to copy the taste in my own kitchen. This recipe comes close but the ambiance is just not the same. If you get there, try the coconut black rice as well--- I am working on that recipe now. (*Here it is!) Oh, and the sea scallops in wasabi cream or the fillet with green beans, then end with the mango panecotta. Ouch!
