I've said this before, but I absolutely love making salads. I just think it is so fun to play around with mix-ins and come up with fun dressings. My previous favorite has dried cranberries, pears, pecans, and goat chese. My NEW favorite is this one.
When my mother-in-law asked me to bring a salad to Easter lunch, I was excited to come up with something fun and different. As I perused Trader Joe's, the salad started to take shape I picked up some stilton with apricots and decided to go for an apricot/raspberry combo. So I bought some fresh raspberries and dried apricots, found some pea shoots that were lovely, and I threw those in as well. I love having toasted nuts in my salad for the crunch, so I used toasted pecans. And finally, I made a quick apricot mustard vinaigrette.
The resulting salad was light, refreshing, and delicious. I loved the sweetness from the fruit, the crunch from the pecans, and the bite from the vinaigrette. While the Stilton was much milder than I expected, it actually worked out better. This way, the cheese didn't overpower the other mild components of the salad.
In my opinion, the flavors and textures are just perfect, and I'm already looking forward to making it all summer.
Easter Salad
- 4 ounces mixed greens, such as spring mix or baby greens
- 4 ounces arugula or spinach
- 1/2 cup pea shoots
- 4 ounces fresh raspberries
- 1/3 cup Stilton with apricots, or another mild, crumbly cheese
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, cut into quarters
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans
- 2 Tablespoons apricot preserves
- 2-3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup raspberry or sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8-1/4 cup olive oil
For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients except oil. While continually whisking, stream in the oil until desired consistency. Toss with salad or serve on the side.
