Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

You guys...  Purple salad dressing!

I made purple salad dressing and there’s not a beet in sight.  This is cause for celebration. 

I was assembling a meal for a dear friend who had a sweet little human exit her body last week, and as I stood amidst the salad greens, all of my go-to dressings suddenly seemed very boring.  

I wanted to make my own dressing, with pretty berries and fragrant mint - a dressing that could make me want to eat salad. 

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I love blackberries.  They have a lot of critics, but I adore them - bitter centers and all!  They also turn a lovely shade of magenta when you blend them up! 

The sweetness of these berries pairs so well with the rich, molasses-like flavor of balsamic. 

I added several leaves of fresh mint as well as lemon juice, salt, and a bit of sugar to the berries before I drizzled in my olive oil.

If you prefer a sweeter dressing, or your berries are on the tart side, you can add a little extra sugar.  If you are not a huge fan of mint, you might start off with just 2-3 leaves.  It's all up to your own taste!

Your food processor is your best friend when it comes to emulsifying. 

The final dressing is sweet and tangy and so full of Summer flavor!

After delivering a simple salad of arugula and almonds to my friend, and snuggling her sweet baby, I realized that this salad could only be improved by a hearty serving of my love - burrata.

There is always a place for more cheese.

I am thinking of trying it drizzled over grilled peaches... 

I just really love this color. 

This makes me want to eat salad almost as much as I want to eat cookies. 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

makes about 1 1/2 cups

- 1 cup fresh blackberries 

- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

- 4-6 mint medium leaves 

- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

- 1 teaspoon fine salt

- 1 tablespoon lemon juice 

- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In the work bowl of your food processor combine blackberries, balsamic, mint, sugar, salt, and lemon juice.  Pulse until smooth. 

With the food processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil, forming an emulsion.  When all the oil has been incorporated, transfer the dressing to a jar and store until ready to use.  Enjoy! 

Serving suggestion: Serve the dressing over fresh arugula, sliced almonds, whole blackberries, and burrata.  

Charred Corn & Bacon Guacamole

I spent the majority of last week on the sofa, overcome by a very, very unenjoyable virus.  I like to think I can handle sickness well, but this one beat all willpower out of me.  I really do not enjoy being sick, I hate how it forces life to come to a halt, and as nice as sitting on the couch watching Netflix all day sounds, I tire of laziness after about four hours.  

I forced myself up last Tuesday and made these popsicles in between bouts of sickness, and then crashed for another day and a half. 

The moment I could stomach normal food again, there was only one thing on my mind - bacon. 

I feel that it is necessary for me to provide some sort of disclaimer.  Bacon is overused, overdone, and overrated, in my humble opinion.  I roll my eyes when I walk into stores and see shelf upon shelf of bacon merchandise.  Apparently, Americans will buy and consume anything that either contains bacon, or some manner of sketchy bacon derivative. 

With that being said, bacon - true, quality bacon, is a thing of beauty.  It’s like butter, but in animal form.  Weird?  Maybe.  Delicious?  Absolutely! 

AND, it adds a deliciously rich, crispy texture to the otherwise mushy texture of guacamole. 

As with most edible things in this world, avocados are a hit or miss for me.  I go through seasons where I cannot get enough of their green, butter-like flesh, and then I hate them for six months.  This confuses my fiancé, and my mom, and pretty much everyone aside from my grandmother who understands because I get this perpetual-fickleness from her. 

Right now, I think I am slowly re-entering the infatuation stage.  For whatever reason, I was possessed to make guacamole, so here we are.  A big bowl of delightfully trashed up avocados just waiting to be smashed and slathered unto an obscene number of corn chips.

Are you a yellow corn or white corn chip kind of person?  Or are you my sister who insists that blue corn is best?  

I’ll always go for the yellow corn - all the way, all the time. 

Is it strange that we are loading up corn chips with more corn?  Nah, I’ll put corn on anything this time of year, even atop more corn.  

When it comes to guacamole-making, there are few secrets, but if there ever was one it would be this: you can never, ever, ever have too much lemon/lime juice.  

Avocados beg for acid.  It brightens up their flavor and cuts through the fattiness, so please do not skimp on the lemon juice.

I know lime juice is traditional, but I like changing things up.

I am a texture person.  When it comes to guacamole, I prefer a partially smooth/chunky (I do not like that word) texture. 

The corn to avocado ratio is nearly even, but in my mind that's just perfect.  If you do not love grilled corn as much as I do, you could back off a little.  I just really love the sweet bursts of flavor and texture that they bring to this chip and dip party. 

My sister has been begging me to throw a taco party, so I figured this was a start.  Next, I'm going to conquer the drink.  I am dreaming up some sort of salted watermelon and lime situation... More to come. 

This is my "get back into life" food.  It's salty and creamy and crunchy and there's bacon.  

All good vibes here.  

I can't believe I just wrote that.  Ugh, what is happening to me?  

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Charred Corn & Bacon Guacamole

- 3 ears fresh sweet corn 

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 4 rashers good quality bacon, diced 

- 3 medium ripe Hass avocados

- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice (you may want to increase this amount if you like your guacamole on the more acidic side)

- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt 

- corn chips, for serving  

Set grill to medium high heat.  

Brush corn with olive oil and place on the grill.  Grill for 5-7 minutes, turning often, until all sides of the ears are evenly charred.  Allow the corn to cool while you cook the bacon. 

Place bacon in a nonstick frying pan and set over medium heat.  Cook until crisp and remove from heat. 

Cut avocados into cubes and place in a medium serving bowl.  Season with lemon juice and salt.  Use a whisk or potato masher to roughly mash the avocados. 

With a sharp knife, strip the corn kernels from the ears.  Add the corn and bacon*, along with the grease, to the mashed avocados; stir to combine. 

Taste and adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste.  Serve alongside corn chips.  Enjoy!! 

*You can make this guacamole in advance, but I suggest adding the bacon just before you plan on serving it so that it will stay crisp.  

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Pear, Bacon, and Brussel Sprouts Warm Salad

The scent of pine and cinnamon floats about the room, I am reading A Christmas Carol by tree-light, presents are wrapped, and the old familiar feeling of Christmas hangs in the air.  

It’s nearly Christmas and as I do every year, I find myself wondering what has happened to the many foregone hours, days, and weeks of December.

The family will soon be arriving, and the living room covered in shiny paper and curly ribbons, but there are still a few opportunities to work some kitchen magic.

Pears are to December what apples are to October, and it is time to take advantage of their sweet, juicy flesh.  I love eating pears on their own, but there is something special about the combination of their understated sweetness paired with rich, savory flavors. 

This salad begins in the best way imaginable - with bacon.  Several rashers of thick, applewood bacon are cooked until crisp and then set aside, leaving a frying pan full of flavorful fat.  This is how brussel sprouts are meant to be cooked.

The bacon fat will help our sprouts get brown and crispy.  What do you mean this is not really a salad?  It’s green and it has a dressing - it’s a salad.  Stop complaining, you know you love it.

Once the sprouts are cooked through, the sweet, tangy, balsamic and honey dressing is added along with the sliced pears, bacon, and walnuts. 

Just before serving, a heavy dose of grated parmesan is sprinkled.  

Kale and beets can wait for January.  This is the only salad I am interested in at the moment. 

Take a few moments to read, write, or take a cozy, winter nap before the guests start arriving, and the cousins start quarreling.  Merry Christmas. 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Pear, Bacon, and Brussel Sprouts Salad

serves 6

• 3 rashers applewood-smoked bacon, diced 
• 8 ounces brussel sprouts 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons honey 
• 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 
• 3 medium pears, cored and sliced thickly 
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts 
• 1/4 cup parmesan 

Place bacon in a large frying pan and fry over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until the bacon is crisp.  Remove from heat and use a slotted spoon to collect the bacon.  Place on a paper towel and set aside.  

Prepare the brussel sprouts by slicing the ends off each sprout with a paring knife.  Peel away the outer leaves, and halve each sprout.  

Place the brussel sprouts in the frying pan, along with the bacon grease and 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Cook, over medium heat until the sprouts are deep brown and crisp on the edges and the centers are tender when pierced with a butter knife.

While the sprouts are cooking, prepare the dressing.  In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, honey balsamic vinegar, salt, and mustard.  Whisk to combine.  

Pour the dressing over the cooked brussel sprouts and add pears.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  

Toss in cooked bacon, walnuts, and parmesan.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!