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| Raspberry Vinaigrette |
Raspberry vinaigrette has been my favorite for a long, long time. Toss a handful of leaves in a bowl, some raisins, maybe some peanuts, shreds of cheddar, sunflower seeds and whatever else there may be around. No matter what is in the salad bowl, raspberry vinaigrette makes it taste like candy. I read the label on the bottle in my fridge; that stuff is candy! The first ingredient on the list was high fructose corn syrup, followed by soybean oil. Some have canola, too. Raspberry juice was way down the list. I just had to make my own using real food ingredients.
You will be surprised how simple it can be to make this sweet, tangy salad dressing yourself with ingredients you might already have around your kitchen. This recipe will make just enough to fill a empty molasses bottle:
1 cup frozen raspberries
3/8 cup vinegar
3/8 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
Pour boiling water into the clean molasses bottle, put the lid on and invert. This extra step will make sure it is really, really clean before adding an oil-based dressing. Let it stand for a few minutes, then pour out the water, keeping the bottle and lid inverted on the dish rack to dry.
In a glass dish, microwave the raspberries just enough to warm them. Place a strainer over a glass measuring cup. With a spatula, work the pulp and juice of the berries through the strainer. Be sure t o scrape the bottom of the strainer for the pulp that collects, too. Once you have little more than a couple tablespoons of seeds in the strainer, pour the vinegar through. Add the oil and maple syrup to the dressing.
Pour the dressing into the clean bottle, put the lid on and shake it to mix. Store it in the fridge.
[As this dressing contains oil, it is safer to store it in the fridge than on the counter. Flavoured oils look pretty on the counter but can be a perfect environment for the growth of Clostridium bolulinum, the bacteria that causes botulism. ]
