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?
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.
ReplyDeleteHe loves trifle, too, and your 'dream recipe' sounds very intriguing!