Friday, September 26, 2014

Vanilla Vegetable Salad



Per Nana~
Our recipe selection for this week is vanilla vegetable salad. 
Dorie suggests using mixed greens or mesclun and topping it with thinly 
sliced curls of summer squash and carrots. The dressing is a combination 
of fresh lemon juice, olive oil and a touch a vanilla. 
I used my mandoline to slice the squash and a vegetable peeler for the carrot. 
Whenever I have to use the mandoline I make Hubby do the work, I am so afraid 
of those blades. It does a wonderful job and was perfect for this salad. The salad 
was very pretty and made a lovely presentation but unfortunately I did not care
 for the dressing because of the vanilla flavor. I did like the slivers of summer 
squash. They are quite tasty and I will definitely add them to other salads.

Per Tricia~
I was intrigued by this recipe since I adore vanilla but do not use it for savory dishes. 

The taste and the aroma is a favorite of mine but I couldn't get my head
 around using it as a vinaigrette in a salad. As expected, the aroma was
 fantastic- fresh and light when mixed with the lemon juice and olive oil.  

The verdict on taste ?  
Unfortunately none of us cared for it. 
My husband stated it looked fabulous but was "not something I would
 serve at a dinner party". It was bland with a strong perfume. That said, 
we enjoyed the adventure - even if this will not be a repeat. 


Happy French Fridays ~

12 comments:

  1. Holy Moly, Tricia. You get the vibrant color award this week.
    We had a similar verdict in our house - the vanilla threw us off. (I would love to take Susan's suggestion, though and try the dressing on a pear salad).

    Have a lovely weekend and you need to come to Vermont sometime soon! (Hint, hint)

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  2. I second Cher's comment. Your salad pops up prettily against the white plate.

    Ed couldn't tell there was vanilla in the dressing and all I could do was smell it. That said I did like it and would probably make it again.

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  3. Boy, both your salads look amazing! Sorry the vanilla didn't do it for you...I found it subtle enough to enjoy it...any more and I think I may have felt the same way you did. On to October!

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  4. Sums up how we felt. Vanilla flavor was too strong, dominated all the beautiful ribbons of vegetables.

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  5. White plates and outdoor lighting does wonders in both your pictures! I enjoyed the dressing and raw zuc!

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  6. One thing the salads have going for them is that they are pretty!

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  7. Yeah, I wasn't a fan either. However, it sure was pretty. Nana, I'm scared of my mandoline too. I used the vegetable peeler to make my strips because I was just making salad for one.

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  8. Beautiful photos! I love that you hand off the mandoline duties, Nana.

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  9. Well ladies, kudos to you both for giving it a try! I am in the minority…I enjoyed the dressing! Sorry this was not a winner for your house…moving on to November!

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  10. Nana I share you concerns with the mandoline. My Mom cut herself bad on one. I used a vegetable peeler. Tricia, you are right is was a beautiful salad. We are also not a fan and will not be making again.

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  11. I am with you ladies - I didn't care for this one either. Tricia, I am looking at your squash with interest, because I don't think I have seen long ones like that here. I used the squat round variety for my salad as that is all I could get.

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  12. I'm right there with both of you. Looks great. Sounds intriguing. But taste? Not so much!

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