This sugaring season, a guest of the sugar house had a good question for me. “What do you use maple in that others might not, now that you make your own syrup?” The answer was easy: salad dressing! Now that we are entering freshly-grown-green season, here are recipes for the five maple salad dressings I’ve created using our own syrup! Remember to use your highest quality olive oil and mix in fresh herbs just before serving so they don’t sog.
Carmelized Maple Balsalmic Vinaigrette
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- freshly ground coarse salt and pepper to taste
- fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Bring the garlic and maple syrup to a simmer over medium heat and stir constantly for 1 minute, turning the heat down to medium-low if needed to avoid boiling. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Whisk in balsalmic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Enjoy!
This is a modified version of a carmelized balsalmic vinaigrette recipe I got from a friend in college. The original recipe uses one whole cup (!) of white sugar. I’ve modified it to use just two tablespoons of maple. The taste is sweet enough as modified. I like to add fresh parsley to it just before serving and toss blanched-and-cooled vegetables like green beans and/or thinly sliced carrots in it.
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- freshly ground coarse salt and pepper to taste
- fresh thyme, chopped (optional)
Mix ingredients well and enjoy! Great as a substitute for ceasar dressing or on other romaine-forward salads. For a more traditional honey-mustard feel, cut out half of the olive oil (reduce to 2 tablespoons).
“Asian” Maple Dressing
- 1/4 olive oil
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or tahini
- freshly ground corarse salt and pepper to taste
- fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Mix ingredients well and enjoy! Great on dark and bitter greens and cabbage. If you are a cilantro person, consider adding chopped, fresh cilantro just before serving.
White Balsalmic Maple Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons white balsalmic vinegar
- freshly ground coarse salt and pepper to taste
- fresh rosemary, minced (optional)
Mix ingredients well and enjoy!
I can’t always find white balsalmic vinegar in the grocery store, but when I can, I make the heck out of this dressing. I like to use this on salads made of mesculin and spinach and featuring nuts like toasted almonds or candied pecans and fruits like strawberries, blueberries, grapes and even diced watermelon.
Spicy Maple Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider syrup
- freshly ground coarse salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
Mix ingredients well and enjoy! This is my go-to dressing for coleslaw. Summer is coming!