Apple, Spinach, and Pecan Salad with Apple Butter Browned Butter Vinaigrette

Here that? … leaves maybe? That is the sound of absolutely no one talking about Thanksgiving salads. You might put the obligatory two bites of salad on your plate, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Put a little thought into the salad and people will want to eat it.

Apple, Spinach, and Pecan Salad with Apple Butter Browned Butter Vinaigrette is fresh with fall’s bounty and grounded by the decadence of apple butter and browned butter.

I always use my apple butter in this recipe, but please don’t make it only for this dressing. Even I say that is too far! Just choose an apple butter that preferably doesn’t have added sugar. I find those have the best flavor, but can be a little hard to find. Go with what you can find – it’s not worth an extra stop to locate it.

Apple Butter Browned Butter Vinaigrette Ingredients
4 Tbl unsalted butter
1 tsp garlic (about 1 clove)
¼ tsp salt
8 Tbl apple butter
¼ tsp lemon zest
¼ c lemon juice (have 3 lemons on hand to be safe)
¼ c cane vinegar
¾ c grapeseed oil

 
Apple Butter Browned Butter Vinaigrette Directions
Take a clove of garlic and slice off the dry end. Lay the knife blade flat on top of the clove. Give the knife a good whack with the exterior of your fist. The skin should pop loose. Slice the clove thinly in one direction and then the other. Rock the knife back and forth until you have a fine mince. Add 1 tsp garlic and ¼ tsp salt to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Put 4 Tbl unsalted butter in a small frying pan and put it on medium-low heat. This heat amount varies significantly depending on your stove. If your butter boils, it’s too high of a heat, if you don’t see any action besides butter melting, it needs to be hotter. Butter will melt, foam up, and then milk solids will settle at the bottom of the pan leaving a clear liquid at the top. The milk solids at the bottom of the pan will start to brown. I typically like to push the envelope on the browning, but please don’t. Your dressing will be bitter. Aim for a dark golden brown, err on the side of a little lighter, but not darker. Remove from heat.

Pour the hot butter on top of the garlic. The garlic should turn a little brown. If not, just roll with it.

Add ½ c of apple butter to the jar. Stir it with a spoon. The mixture will be too thick to shake.

On the small holes of a box grater, zest a lemon. Add ¼ tsp zest to the jar.

Apply downward pressure on a lemon with the heel of your hand while rolling it back and forth. When You feel the rind give, slice it in half around the equator and squeeze out ¼ c of juice. Add it to the jar along with ¼ c cane vinegar. Give it a quick stir.

Add ¾ c of grapeseed oil to the jar. Screw on the cap tightly and shake until will incorporated. Taste. Add more salt if needed. Balance out the acid and fat as well.

Apple, Spinach, and Pecan Salad with Apple Butter Browned Butter Vinaigrette Ingredients
per 2 side servings or 1 meal serving

¼ c Apple Butter Browned Butter Vinaigrette
3 c spinach
1 c chopped apple (have 1 apple on hand)
¼ c roasted pecans (see this recipe)
3 Tbl shredded Parmesan Cheese

Apple, Spinach, and Pecan Salad with Apple Butter Browned Butter Vinaigrette Ingredients
Spread 1 Tbl dressing on the bottom of a large plate. Spread 2 c of spinach on the plate. Drizzle it with 2 Tbl of dressing. Spread 1 c of spinach on top and drizzle the remaining 1 Tbl of dressing on top.

I keep the apple pieces pretty rustic. Score the apple vertical and horizontally to the core. I usually do the lines about ½” apart. Put the apple on its bottom on a cutting board. Take the knife and cut downward to release the pieces. Add 1 c of the apple pieces to the top of the salad.

Sprinkle ¼ c of roasted pecans on top followed by 3 Tbl of cheese.

Notes
Baby chard and baby arugula are wonderful with this salad. Either use it as a substitute or along side it.

It doesn’t take long to roast your own pecans and it makes a massive difference.

Don’t use the can of grated Parmesan that’s almost like a powder. A good cheese substitute is Ramon. If you like sheep cheese, Manchego is a delicious option.

Cane vinegar is a splendid new product for me. You can order it on Steen’s website or from Walmart. It’s acidic with the faintest hit of sweetness and rounds out with a delightfully light cane syrup taste. You can of course substitute apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar if you don’t have any.

Use any neutral oil in place of grapeseed. You can use a light olive oil, but not a dark one because it will compete with the other flavors in the dressing.

The best way to dress the salad is to put the leaves in a bowl and toss it with the dressing to evenly coat the leaves. That involves an extra dish so I almost never do it that way.