Chocolate Recipe: Chocolate Vinaigrette

Put this one in the 'Don't Knock It Until You Try It' category. In search of a recipe this month that moved away from the world of desserts, the idea of a salad dressing came to mind. Eww you say? Not so fast. Summertime salads often turn to fruits - strawberries, pears and berries. And summertime dressings often end up tending to be a little on the sweet side too (poppy seed, honey mustard, etc.). So why not add a hint of chocolate to the mix?

A Sweet & Tangy Balsamic Vinaigrette

This recipe is super simple and pairs with a salad that contains nearly any fruit and uses a balsamic vinaigrette as a base. For greens I would suggest spinach or a spring mix - arugula might be a bit too peppery. While it is possible to pair certain cheeses with dark chocolate, I would avoid putting cheese in your salad as it might be just a little too adventurous of a combination for your dinner guests - but if you are making this solo and want to give it a shot, go for it and let us know how it went.

Chocolate Vinaigrette Ingredients

Ingredients You Will Need

• 1 ounce of dark chocolate (our origin collection works well)

• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

• 1/2 cup neutral oil (Canola or a light flavored olive oil).

• 1 teaspoons honey (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• pinch of pepper

For my salad I used mixed greens, fresh strawberries, a diced pear and walnuts.

For equipment you will need a small microwave-safe bowl and a whisk.

Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes

Step 1: Chop and Melt Chocolate

Chop chocolate into fairly small pieces. They don't need to be too small, but the smaller the pieces the faster it will melt. Add into the bowl and pulse in the microwave in 15-second increments and stirring in between until it melts.

Step 2: Add Your Vinegar & Honey

Add your balsamic vinegar and optional honey and whisk until combined. You will want to taste the balsamic before you add the honey. A well-aged balsamic can be sweet on its own and the honey may overdo things - it is all personal preference

Step 3: Slowly Add Your Oil

While whisking, drizzle in the oil. This will help ensure a nice emulsion forms. I am not sure if this is due to the chocolate, but I found my emulsion does not separate after sitting like a typical vinaigrette will do (but if it does, just give another whisk before serving).

If you find the dressing flavor too strong for your preference, you can add more oil to mellow it out. You can go all the way up to 3/4 cup of oil and still have a fairly good emulsion.

Step 4: Build Your Salad And Dress

I don't need to tell you how to put a salad together, so I will leave that to you. I will suggest that you drizzle this dressing on top rather than toss it into the salad. There is a lot of flavor there. You can always add more if you don't have enough, but once you over-dress a salad you can't really undo it.

Enjoy!

Thanks to FOODAL.COM for inspiring this recipe.