As time goes by I am making more of my own salad dressings, versus using bottled varieties from the grocery store. There is so much flexibility in making your own vinaigrette or salad dressing using preferred ingredients (often healthier) of your choice. You can make your own vinegar, use the oil you like, type of sweetener or throw in some herbs and spices. Then when the fruit is sweet is a perfect time to make a fruit vinaigrette for your salads.
The blueberries have been rather sweet even though it is not the season for blueberries here in Michigan. But they were on sale and I saw a perfect opportunity to experiment with this blueberry vinaigrette. Right off the bat there are three favorite ingredients; blueberries, balsamic vinegar and lavender – the three go together so well.
Blueberry Lavender Vinaigrette
- 14 oz. fresh blueberries
- 1 large shallot, diced
- enough cooking oil (maybe 1 tsp.) to saute the shallots
- 1/3 cup quality balsamic vinegar (I like Stonehouse)
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar or honey (to taste depending on the sweetness of the berries and use lavender honey if you have it)
- 1 tsp. dried lavender buds
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (Stonehouse makes a smooth EVOO – Ina’s favorite) – add what you need to get a consistency you like
Add a little oil to a large skillet and heat; add the shallots and saute until most of the red color is gone in the onions. Add the blueberries and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Start to press on the blueberries with a metal turner while stirring.
Raise the heat and add the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar or honey. Continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the lavender and cook for another minute.
Remove from the heat and carefully pour the mixture into a blender. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and blend until combined. I prefer to have this vinaigrette thick so I am using just a little on top of the salad. EVOO can make a dressing thick which is what I prefer but use the oil of your choice.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Salad:
- greens of your choice (I used butter lettuces – so soft and tender)
- blueberries and mandarin orange sections (I did not care for the raspberries in this salad; strawberries would have been better)
- Feta cheese, crumbled
- toasted or sweetened walnuts or pecans – see recipe below (I used plain walnuts)
- freshly minced chives or green onions would be a great topping
Layer the greens of your choice, top with blueberries and tangerine sections. Raspberries did not go well with this salad – maybe because of the lavender. Strawberries or dried cranberries would be a better choice. Toasted or sweetened pecans/walnuts are a nice addition for a special treat (see recipe below). I just used raw walnut pieces. Feta cheese is a rich soft cheese which gave the salad a salty and tangy taste.
Dot the salad with the blueberry vinaigrette and serve…
Lavender and Rosemary Walnuts – Optional:
- 4 tsp. dried lavender buds
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. kosher or sea salt (I used kosher)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp. water
- 4 cups walnut halves and pieces (about 1 lb.)
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a nonstick spray. Grind the lavender, rosemary and 1/4 cup sugar together. I have a spice grinder I use only for my herbs, especially lavender. Combine this with the rest of the sugar (1/2 cup), salt and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg white and water until stiff peaks form. Add the nuts and coat thoroughly. Sprinkle with the sugar mixture and mix well.
Spread nuts on prepared baking sheet and bake in a 325° F oven for 10 minutes. Stir and turn the nuts and bake 10 minutes more. Remove and cool separating the nuts more so they do not stick together. You can store these for 2 weeks in a covered container or freeze.
Note: This vinaigrette does stain so be careful how you serve this salad!
http://cookingwithauntjuju.com/2019/05/19/blueberry-balsam…te-with-lavender/
Judy, you’re a genius. Lavender is among my favorite. 💜
Thanks Gail – I just love lavender like you do – so many ways to use it 🙂
Balsamic and fresh blueberries together work for me and the lavender addition sounds lovely. We also have fresh (Andalusian) blueberries on sale at our market, so I’m tossing this one together for tonight’s salad.
It’s a nice recipe and makes for a light salad. Just a few drops all over the salad and it’s good to go! This kind of salad is a favorite during the warmer months. I actually thought about using a blueberry balsamic vinegar but how many vinegars can I have? Make it to taste depending on the sweetness of the berries and how thick you like it.
Love the flavors here! Brilliant idea, to cook the shallots/blueberries first. I can see how it brings out all the flavor, while also makes the vinaigrette last longer.
And thanks for the reminder of these walnuts, which I meant to make long time ago and didn’t get to it. I plan to make both very soon! 🙂
Thanks Ronit – I liked the idea of cooking the blueberries and then blending all of the ingredients together. My version is thick but I only wanted a little taste of the vinaigrette and not having the salad drown in it. I have made the nuts since I first posted it and I use less sugar – but not when you have to grind the lavender, rosemary and 1/4 sugar together. I know you will adjust that ingredient like I keep trying to… I suppose I should update the post 🙂
Will keep it in mind! 🙂
Wanted to thank you for the walnuts recipe. I made them a couple of days ago, and they were a hit! I usually use almonds in similar recipe, but love the creaminess of the walnuts. Definitely a keeper! 🙂
I’m glad you liked them! I have a weakness for nuts like this as I seem to munch on them more than use them in a salad – so does everyone else 🙂
They are indeed addictive! 🙂
I’m going to try this since I’m growing lavender this year! Have a great day!😃
Lavender is a wonderful herb to flavor recipes – sweet and savory. You just have to be careful how much you add as it can overpower other ingredients. When you don’t use it fresh dry all the flowers for later use 🙂
Will do! I’m planting the seeds soon! Happy Memorial Day weekend!🇺🇸💜
This post motivates me to make my own salad dressing more often. I generally use bottled dressings, and then quietly fume about how many chemicals are in those dressings while I’m eating the salad.
That’s exactly how I feel Sheryl! It’s really a lot more fun to make your own dressings because you can use any ingredients you like – I like to experiment too 🙂
i’m very lazy with my dressings; i just throw olive oil and lemon juice into my salad and give the whole thing a big toss:-) i like the sound of this dressing but i worry that there is a lot of sugar in this recipe. is it essential? cheers sherry
Hi Sherry – there is only 2 tbsp. brown sugar or honey in the vinaigrette. This can be added to taste of course especially if your berries are sweet. All the sugar is in the walnuts and you certainly can add only plain walnuts like I did or not even add them 🙂