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The story behind Roasted Pecan Vinaigrette
Roasted Pecan Vinaigrette is a recipe my son Chris “obtained” (aka asked for) when he was dining at Gumbo Shop in New Orleans. When we were making plans for our New Year’s Eve cook together dinner, he offered to make this as the first-course salad and I must say, it was delicious.
We did, however, make a small modification.
This is a bold, slightly thick, tangy dressing
I find that most, if not all, salad dressings, contain too much oil. So we cut the oil in half. It was the perfect amount of oil and made a VERY flavorful, slightly thick, tangy, dressing. For our dinner we served this Roasted Pecan Vinaigrette tossed with some fresh baby spinach and dried cranberries. The combination was awesome. Chris tells me he generally just serves it on mixed greens, and today I had it for lunch, with a bit of fresh spinach, chopped Romaine lettuce and fresh julienned apple slices…a sprinkle of bleu cheese made it a great lunch salad. Add a little sliced roasted chicken???
This dressing is bold. Full of garlic, onions and chopped roasted pecan. Although it seems thick, it really works well on robust lettuces such as spinach and romaine. And did you know that both of those have about the same nutritional values, and in some cases, beat kale? Although I think it would be delicious on kale as well, I’m just saying.
Be sure to keep an eye on those nuts
The recipe uses roasted pecans. The best way to roast pecans is in a 350º oven. Spread them onto a cooking sheet and roast them, stirring occasionally, until they are nicely toasted. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they get close because, as Chris can tell you, they go from cooked to burnt in pretty short order.
My son Chris making the Roasted Pecan Vinaigrette
Roasted Pecan Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/6th cup finely minced onion (that's 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup roasted chopped pecans
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Method
Step 1
Whisk the first 6 ingredients together in a small non-metallic bowl. Slow whisk in the olive oil; add the toasted pecans. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Serve over greens.
LindySez: I really liked the dressing as it was, but removing some oil did make it a bit thicker. If it seems too thick, or too “flavorful”, thin with a bit of water, or oil until it is how thick you desire.
posted by Chris on January 9, 2015
I finally have a featured recipe on your site. Well… not featured, but it’s on there! Whoot! I do love this dressing, as does everyone I’ve ever made it for. Glad you liked it too 🙂
posted by Chris on January 9, 2015
great pic too btw!
posted by LindySez on January 9, 2015
Thanks, it’s always a challenge to make a brown lumpy dish look good 🙂
posted by LindySez on January 9, 2015
If I had to give it a name, it would have had to have been Gumbo Shop’s … but yes, you get the credit for bringing this delicious dressing to the table!
posted by Cher on January 21, 2015
Yum! Sounds wonderful and I really like the idea of reducing the oil! Can’t wait to try this!
posted by Elaine Schoch on January 23, 2015
I LOVE the Gumbo Shop in New Orleans!!!! Must try this…