Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Apple Butter Vinaigrette

I can never get enough apples in the fall (yes, I know it's not fall anymore...  but it was in the 40s yesterday!), and this time I took my homemade applesauce to a whole new level.  After my apples became applesauce in the crockpot overnight, I gave it a stir and returned it to low while I was at work (another 8hrs or so).   At this point, a quick spin in the blender and out came a pretty delicious apple butter!   Couldn't be simpler :)


Since then I've mostly used the apple butter as a topping for yogurt or toast, but then somewhere along the way (probably here) I had the idea to use it in a dressing.   First I used it on a salad of massaged kale, julienned apples, chopped pecans, dried cranberries and goat cheese...   delicious.   And then I tossed that combination with some freshly cooked wheat berries.  Even better!!  The warm wheat berries melted the goat cheese and with the vinaigrette coated the salad quite nicely... yum.  



Apple Butter Vinaigrette
"recipe" by Shannon
(enough for one of my salads)

1/2c apple butter
2-4T white balsamic vinegar
2-4T olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

I kind of flew by the seat of my pants, whisking all the ingredients together.  I prefer my dressings to have a little tang (especially using sweet apple butter), so I was on the 4T vinegar and 2T oil end of the spectrum.  Feel free to adjust it to your own tastes!


Writing this post is making me hungry, so I think I'll go make some more  :)




This was very festive, so it could easily become a part of your holiday menu!    What's the most delicious thing you've ever done with apple/pumpkin/pear butter?

22 comments:

Delicious Dishings said...

That is a great idea! I don't think I've done anything interesting with fruit butters. I usually enjoy apple butter with breakfast sausage.

Lauren said...

Fantastic idea to use apple butter in a vinaigrette! I just made a cranberry apple butter, and I'm definitely going to reserve some of it to make a salad dressing :).

Joanne said...

I've decided that so long as apples are still abundant at the farmer's market, it can so totally still be apple season. Which means I have some apple butter making to do. This sounds wonderful!

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

I have some leftover pumpkin butter and I think I'd like to try using it for a vinaigrette. Thanks for the inspiration!

Victoria said...

I used homemade pumpkin butter to make truffles once :). Substituted it for the cream.

Kelly said...

Yum. Great recipe. I made some apple butter a couple of months ago and froze and I've been struggling to find ideas to pull it out and this sounds great.

Jess said...

That's a great idea! I've never used apple butter in anything creative, so no ideas here.

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

Another brilliant idea!! Thankyou for sharing :)

vanillasugarblog said...

shannon i just love this. so simple and yet so flavorful. be fabulous in my daily salad wraps with chunks of sharp cheddar.

Unknown said...

this is so creative. I love it. Do you think it would work with pumpkin butter too?

Alyssa said...

Shannon, this looks amazing! I'm going to try this over the holidays.

♥peachkins♥ said...

interesting vinaigrette flavor!!




The Peach Kitchen
peach and things
blowing peachkisses

Alisa Fleming said...

Okay, now that is amazing! I think I need to make crockpot applesauce. I always want to do overnight stuff, but have this fear of leaving anything on overnight.

We Are Not Martha said...

What a good idea! ANd there's seriously so much you can do with it. Though, if you're me, you mostly just eat apple butter on toast. I might have to start experimenting!

Sues

Meghan@travelwinedine said...

I wish it was still in the 40's! I like to put apple butter in yogurt or sometimes eat it plain. This salad sounds so good; it has been awhile since I have had massaged kale, and I miss it!

Elina (Russian Bites) said...

I've had a jar of apple butter in my fridge probably for a year and a half. It's normally too sweet for me (if I want sweet, I go for chocolate - not apple butter!). I shall convert it into a dressing and make a salad just like yours! ;)

Reeni said...

I haven't done anything as delicious as this with my apple butter Shannon! You're a genius! I love it.

Beth said...

This dressing looks great! Bookmarked!

Anonymous said...

oh, a very neat idea to make a vinaigrette with apple butter, sounds like a terrific salad dressing!

Alicia said...

what a fabulous idea!! I made apple butter this year and have been looking for different ways to use it up! The recipe made SO MUCH!

Kerstin said...

Oh, what a great idea - I need to try making apple butter instead of just buying it from Trader Joe's!

Rosiecat24 said...

Oof, I've been meaning to tell you that this idea is BRILLIANT! I really like it. A little bit of sweet can go a long way in a salad, and apple butter is a fun alternative to honey. Well done, lady!

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