Super Duper Salad

This is soooo basic it’s sickening, BUT it’s sooo good that your guests will think you actually know what you are doing.

We have a massive old wooden butter bowl, so this looks overwhelming in stature, but it works

Take a good bunch of fresh greens (your choice – but I prefer Mescalin Mix) – I will add that I haven’t got a clue on the amount here – just figure on one small handful for every guest – plus two extra handfuls

Grape tomatoes (if they are not the small super sweets – then slice them in half)

Dried cranberries – Take fresh cranberries and leave them on the railing of your deck for a month – make sure the raccoons don’t get at them – Or purchase them in a bag at your local grocer – you make that call!

1/3 cup roasted or toasted pine nuts – in a frying pan at high heat, launch the plain pine nuts, and keep tossing the nuts over the high heat, about one minute of tossing – Voila – Toasted pine nuts – and you said it couldn’t be done!
Substitute candied slivered almonds instead – add a teaspoon of butter to a fry pan heated over medium high heat, toss in 1/3 cup of white granulated good stuff (sugar), mix until smoothly blended together, add almonds and toss – keep tossing until the coating is sticking to almonds and the colour is brown.

1/3 cup of crumbled blue cheese (Feta works too)

You can also add cucumbers if you wish

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil – I use a nice extra virgin – but most any olive oil will work
2 teaspoons Dijon (Dijon IS mustard so stop calling it Dijon mustard – you wouldn’t call Champagne, that Champagne Sparkling Wine would you?)
2 teaspoons Raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar (Use white balsamic if on hand)
1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries – pureed in your blender
one large clove of garlic, sliced in half

Whisk the Dijon and Olive Oil together until nicely blended, slowly add the raspberry and balsamic vinegar while whisking the oil mixture, the three teaspoons should take almost one minute to add. Once the mixture is well mixed (when you stop whisking, the oil should no longer separate from the rest – or at least only a little separation should occur) add the raspberry puree to the mixture and stir until fully infused.
Place the dressing into a bottle, and add the two halves of the sliced garlic into the jar. Let sit – there is enough dressing here for two or three or sometimes four salads, the US and Canadian food guide will most likely tell you that this product can sit refrigerated for up to 48 hours – I will tell you that I have had it after two weeks without problem – it’s oil content will preserve virtually everything here – Enjoy!