Last week, on the way home from babysitting my godchildren, I popped into the supermarket to pick up a few bits. It was Morrisons rather than my usual Waitrose, and it was nice to have a look round somewhere different. Something that really caught my eye was a bottle of inky purple salad dressing made with beetroot and balsamic vinegar. Now I don't like beetroot but I love balsamic vinegar, and over the past few years I have discovered a few things that I didn't used to like I suddenly did (like aubergine) so I decided it was worth trying a bottle.
I am really glad I did, as I have been using it in the most scrumptious salad. I have this lovely little bowl to take salads to work in. In the lid is a little screw top container for the dressing, so you can dress your salad just before you eat it, and the salad doesn't go soggy.
Into the lid-container I pour some of the beetroot balsamic dressing, then into the bowl threw a few handfuls of salad leaves, a mix which included spinach and red chard. Then I added some quartered baby plum tomatoes, and slices of cucumber. I have been using an apple corer to take out the seeds, then slice the cucumber into half moons. I added some shredded chicken, crumbled goats cheese, and chopped walnuts. When it gets to lunch time it is just a case of shaking it all together, then drizzling over the dressing. Do try it, it really is lovely!
I woke up from a dream the other morning, in which I had made a trifle using battenburg cake and chocolate and cherries. I really wanted to create it for some friends, but while I managed to buy battenburg cake with no problems, I couldn't get the cherries I wanted or the chocolate custard, and was on a bit of a tight time scale. So I abandoned my plan to recreate my dream dessert, and instead used a base of battenburg cake and drizzled it with tinned pear juice, then topped with some of the chopped pears. I repeated those layers, then did a layer of custard, and decorated with piped cream coloured pink, and soem edible pink glitter. I would have garnished with cherries, but I didn't have any, so I garnished with cubes of batternburg instead. In retrospect it might be the kind of dessert best made in shot glasses rather than cocktail glasses as I served it, as it is rather sweet. One day I must try and make my dream trifle instead!
what have you been cooking lately?
1 comment:
That salad bowl sounds great, with the compartment for dressing! Do you remember where you got it? I make salads for my husband to take to work and that sounds ideal.
He loves trifle, too, and your 'dream recipe' sounds very intriguing!
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