Roasted Ontario Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
3/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp brown sugar 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 shallot, peeled, halved
Roasted Apple Salad:
8 slices bacon, preferably smoked
2 large Crispin (Mutsu) apples
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup coarsely grated 2-year-old white cheddar
2 cups baby spinach
For Maple Vinaigrette In small saucepan, heat and reduce vinegar to 1/3 cup over medium heat. Stir in
oil, sugar, salt, pepper and shallot. Refrigerate in squirt bottle
until ready to use
For Roast Apple Salad
- Cook bacon over medium heat until nearly crisp (about 80 % cooked) Drain on paper towels; halve each slice of bacon
- Core and peel apples, then cut each into 4 thick rings. (Don't make ahead). Season each slice with salt, pepper and nutmeg
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium high. Add apple rings.
- Drizzle each ring with 1 teaspoon of honey.
- Cook 2 minutes per side, until
golden. (Careful - if your heat isn't high enough, the apples will turn to mush.)
- Transfer 4 apple rings to baking sheet.
- Arrange 4 pieces of bacon on each
apple slice (leaving core area open).
- Top each slice with 1 tablespoon
of cheddar.
- Broil on high for 2 minutes in upper third of oven
- Top each ring
with remaining apple rings to make "sandwiches."
- Divide spinach over centre of 4 plates.
Top each with apple "sandwich"
stack.
- Drizzle Baco Balsamic Glaze around rim of each plate (about 1
teaspoon or to taste).
- Drizzle Maple Vinaigrette over each apple stack
(about 1 teaspoon or to taste)
- Refrigerate remaining Maple Vinaigrette for other uses
Makes 4 servings
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