Plum vinaigrette (salad dressing)

plums poised and ready to make salad awesome

Super simple summer fare.  A handful of little red plums get jazzed up into this beautiful drizzler.

I used a dressing jar for easy measurements.  These you can find at Goodwill or Salvation Army for maybe 50 cents.  They were big in the 80's when those dressing packets were all the rage with moms who also seemed to be addicted to Crystal light.  Those dressings always had some lying name that sounded sweet and wholesome but was really just loaded with MSG.  Good Seasons or Good Seasonings... or Super Longlife-if-you-Buy-Our-Crap powder.  I dunno.  But the JAR is helpful.  On it there is a mark for Vinegar, Water (I never use that measurement for water but instead the herbs, spices, wine or fruit preserves measurement), and Oil.  You then can blend up to your heart's content without much going awry. 

If you don't have one.  That's okay.  A container that you can reliable close tight so that you can shake it vigorously is in order.  Like a mason jar or a little jam jar.

The measurements if you don't have the specialized jar are:

1 heaping tsp raw sugar or vegan sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt or 1-2 pinches
5 one inch plums or 3 two inch or so on... (this mix is for the sweet-tart blushy colored plums so you may not need sugar at all if they're very sweet)
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (not Bragg's brand, others that contain the mother may be fine)
1/2 Cup Olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt or 1-2 pinches
1/4 Cup of sweet sherry or a favorite red wine
1-2 TBSP plum preserves (this will make the vinaigrette a tad more instantly infused so you wont have to wait 1-3 weeks for the infusion)

Chop up plums and add those last to the mix and shake vigorously. Done, you're amazing.
This is delicious on cole slaw instead of whatever wet white stuff some folks like, and greens.  It doesn't end there, but I'm tired can you take over?

Coming to a mouth near you...

Lemons and Limes for keeps

I've salted and sugared some limes and tossed them into a jar along with the juice of 4 other limes.  I have also salted some lemons and put those into a jar along with the juice of 3 other lemons. 

The salt will draw out the juice and create a citrus brine for preserving the fruits in.  The only maintenance it needs is to shake the brine a little to coat the lemons and limes respectively every other day (most important during its initial curing of 3 weeks) while visiting your fridge.  Once the brine covers the majority of the citrus, it will keep refrigerated for a year.  This leaves plenty of time to do it all over again the next year.  After about 3 weeks the citrus will be soft and supple and at that point, the rind is soft and edible too.  These are excellent for salads and other Summer refreshment.  When the lemons and limes are this way they qualify as a full-fledged  condiment and can be used just as you would any other.  And, best of all, a little goes a long way and is always an impressive addition.

Instructions on cutting, salting, canning these citrus:

- Meyer are the preferred choice, but really any will do.

- The amount of salt and additional juice depends on the jar size. 1 quart Mason or Kerr jar needs 2 TBSP salt (then add the juice as mentioned below)

- The double quart size needs 4 TBSP of salt

- For the additional juice, you want enough to help give the citrus a boost.  This again depends on the size of jar and how many fruit you choose to do.  1/3 or better of juice/brine is best to start off.   It will continue to make its own brine as the salt does its magic.

- With the limes, I chose a smaller jar as the slices of limes are so much smaller than the lemons that the same amount of wedges fill a much smaller jar.  For limes I also add 2 TBSP vegan sugar along with 2 TBSP sea salt.

• Cut one end off -- enough to reveal some fruit and not just the pith, cut the other end just enough to stand your fruit upright
• Cut downwards from the most cut end toward the stand end along the wedges direction but not severing the citrus entirely through. Repeat in as many wedges as you'd like - I do 6 for each.
• Pour salt into each wedge cut making certain each side of each wedge is well salted.
• Cut and juice the amount of citrus you'd like for the jar you've selected
• Pour 2-4 TBSP salt into the jar (2 for 1 pint-1 quart 4 for a double quart).
• Pour a lesser amount of sugar into the jar if you'd like it to be a touch less tangy in the end (it's rather minimal and I do it for limes
• You can add spices like cloves, cinnamon sticks and allspice to lemons if they are too edgy.  I like it without because they have more uses without the spices added.  Maybe try two little batches?

Now this is really a very general recipe and hasn't many rules.  The basic rules are:

• You want enough salt to keep the citrus and enough to make brine
• You want enough starter brine so the citrus is eventually covered
• You want it to taste like a million dollars and for people to think you're incredible.

You can leave the citrus out overnight to let it stand at room temperature and after that move it to the refrigerator with a shake to coat and tend to it as you think of it.  A good shake should move the salt from the base of the jar and redistribute it.

Berry dressing

Dear God, do I love berries.  Nothing is more amazing than a berry vinagrette drizzled over soft buttery leaves!  Want to power pack that chicken or turkey sandwich?!  Put a berry dressing on it!

Yes, that was a lot of exclamations.  I mean it.  I can't get enough of them.  You can alter any of these basics to yield the most sumptuous sauce and add your own complexities as well.

I used frozen blueberries, but of course you can use fresh.
Blueberry dressing:
1 c blueberries
3 tsp sugar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
a tiny sprinkle of salt

Pour berries into a pan and simmer them until they leak some of their juices as they look and smell warm add sugar and salt, mash loosely with a fork and let cool... while still warm add vinegar to the berries.  Pour this into a container and let sit in the fridge for at least 3 days.  The wait is hard, but the berries become more infused through the vinegar.  You can always add things to this to get other tones.  Sprig of mint during the heating stage, a dash of cinnamon... its a good base for going nuts.

I like this on spinach and butter lettuce.  I had it on a turkey sandwich and I made a pasta salad with spinach and turkey with it.  It's a delight and helps me get through the end of the winter.

 

Blueberry dressing