UrbnSpice

"A Taste Of Heart & Home"

Salad Dressings

Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter with Balsamic Herb Dressing

By

We all have a go-to dish for our summertime get-togethers – my family favourite is a grilled vegetable platter.   We love this dish because any type of grilled vegetables are delicious and nutritious and you can use any vegetables that are in season. It can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature which makes menu planning easy. I like to serve the vegetables with a simple dressing made from fresh herbs from my garden. Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter with Balsamic Herb Dressing is a dish that may well become your go-to summer favourite.

Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter with Balsamic Herb Dressing | urbnspice.com

Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter with Balsamic Herb Dressing

This Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter is very easy to pull together. I have created a herb and spice seasoning for this recipe called Grilled Vegetable Seasoning Blend (recipe below) that compliments a variety of vegetables. To save time, I use a Panini grill rather than the bbq, which is very efficient as the Panini grill cooks both sides at once which negates the need to turn each piece. In addition, I can grill the vegetables in batches while I am puttering about in the kitchen doing other things. Once the vegetables are grilled and plated, I drizzle a little balsamic and fresh herb dressing on top (recipe included below). If you have any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator. Just be sure to bring them to room temperature before serving.  This vegetarian summertime dish is gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free and preservative free.  For heartier fare, serve the grilled vegetable platter with cedar planked salmon and boiled whole new potatoes (buttered with fresh dill)….

Read More »

How to Make the Ultimate Classic Coleslaw

By

Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipe Series

Skip to Recipe

I have such fond memories of this particular salad from my days as a chef trainee at a prestigious country club. My first months of employment began in Garde Manger – in the cold foods area of a busy kitchen where sandwiches, salads, fruit trays, salad dressing, desserts and so much more was prepared.  Everything was made fresh from scratch on a daily basis. One of my jobs was making coleslaw (hand-cut) for lunch service as well as ensuring a fresh batch was made for the evening service. With any training came the mentorship of the Garde Manger supervisor whose job it was to acknowledge a job well done as well as critiquing work that needed refinement or improvement. It had been a particularly gruelling week, and when I came in the next day, I was met with a sombre greeting from my supervisor. He told me that there was a problem with my coleslaw. I was prepared for the worst and at the same time, devastated that I might not have met expectations in an environment that required precision. He just broke into a smile, “It was too good! We had to make more in the middle of service!” Since that day, I have described this salad as “The Ultimate Classic Coleslaw.”

Ultimate Classic Coleslaw | urbnspice.com…

Read More »

Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing

By

I traditionally have made garlic salad dressing for Caesar Salads. As much as I enjoy making Caesar Salad Dressing from scratch, I wanted a develop a versatile and easy-to-make dressing that could be used as a dressing, or a dip, or a spread or an aioli. This Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing is made with mayonnaise as the base ingredient and with the addition of a few ingredients, you can create a flavourful and versatile dressing. It is convenient to have on hand in the refrigerator for a multitude of purposes, which are outlined below under the “What Else Can I Do With This Recipe?” section of this post.

Skip to My Recipe

Roasted Garlic Dressing | urbnspice.com

Roasted Garlic Dressing can be used for a multitude of dishes

The first essential step in making this dressing is roasting the garlic. I will share with you how to pan roast garlic cloves to make your own roasted garlic puree. This process is much simpler, less messy and yields far more roasted garlic puree than oven roasting whole heads of garlic. CHEF TIP: The garlic oil that remains from pan roasting garlic cloves is a very useful bonus item….

Read More »

How to Make Chive Oil

By

My herb garden is one of my favourite places to sit and relax and enjoy the long warm summer.  In the early spring, the chives, mint and other perennial herbs are popping out everywhere.  I have already snipped chive stems (known as scapes) several times to garnish Savoury Rhubarb Compote with Pork Medallions and Frilly Frittata.   I still have more than enough chives to make a bottle of Chive Oil.  I remember making this tasty green oil for Dinner Class in culinary school.   Everyone was intrigued with the result and the chive oil was circulated around the kitchen to drizzle onto white bean soup, and drizzled drop by drop onto grilled salmon, and also used in a vinaigrette for a baby greens salad.  In this post, I will show you How To Make Chive Oil.

Chives in the Spring | urbnspice.com

Chives in the Spring

Chive Oil is drizzled onto a plated salmon dish | urbnspice.com

Chive Oil is drizzled onto a plated salmon dish as garnish or drizzled on top of the salmon fillet or vegetables for a fresh springtime taste

How To Make Chive Oil:

CHEF TALK:  Making Chive Oil is an easy process and in this post, I used 2 methods.  Method One:  Blanch the chives for a few seconds, add the blanched chives to grapeseed oil; puree the chives/oil mixture, strain and bottle; or Method Two: Gently heat the chopped chives in a neutral oil such as grapeseed (or other neutral tasting vegetable oil), puree and strain the mixture through a fine mesh strain and bottle.  I prefer the blanching method because the chlorophyll pigments are retained and provide a very fresh appearance to the chive oil.  The heating method produces a slightly less vivid green colour.

Chives pureed and steeping | urbnspice.com

INGREDIENTS:

  • One large bunch of Chives, chopped)
  • 1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil

METHOD ONE – Blanch the Chives:

  1. Prepare an ice bath:  In a large bowl, half fill with water and ice cubes.  Place a medium-meshed sieve in the bowl.
  2. Fill a small saucepan with water, and bring to a boil.
  3. Just before blanching the chives, add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the water.  CHEF TIP:  Salt helps to maintain the colour and flavour of the chives. 
  4. Add the chives to the boiling water and blanch for a few seconds to set the colour.
  5. Lift the chives out of the water with a slotted spoon, and immediately plunge into the ice water.
  6. Remove the chives from the ice bath and drain well on a dry towel.
  7. Pour the grapeseed oil into a blender (or an immersion blender).  Add the chives.  Blend to liquefy the ingredients.  Allow the mixture to rest and steep for 30 minutes.
  8. Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer over a measuring cup.  CHEF TIP:  Allow the mixture to slowly strain into the measuring cup.  Pour the chive oil into a bottle for use.  
  9. Refrigerate the chive oil and use within one month.  To use, shake the oil and bring it to room temperature.

METHOD TWO: (Chives Simmered in Oil)

  1. In a small saucepan, place the 1/2 cup grapeseed oil and the chopped chives.
  2. Simmer slowly to allow the chives to release their colour into the oil.  The oil will start to bubble and sizzle.  This should only take about five minutes.  Cool slightly.
  3. Using an immersion blender or blender, liquefy the ingredients.  Allow the mixture to rest and steep for 30 minutes.
  4. Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer over a measuring cup.  CHEF TIP:  Allow the mixture to slowly strain into the measuring cup.  Pour the chive oil into a bottle for storage and use.  
  5. Refrigerate the chive oil and use within one month.  To use, shake the oil and bring it to room temperature before using.

Here is your visual step-by-step procedure How to Make Chive Oil:

Chives in the Spring | urbnspice.com

Chives in the Spring

Chive bunch | urbnspice.com

A bunch of Chives ready to chop and blanch

Ice Bath: A medium meshed sieve makes it easy to drain the blanched chives | urbnspice.com

Prepare an Ice Bath: A medium-meshed sieve makes it easy to drain the blanched chives

Pureeing the chives and oil | urbnspice.com

Pureeing the chives and oil in a blender or with an immersion blender

Chives pureed and steeping | urbnspice.com

Chives pureed and steeping before straining

Chive Oil ready to bottle | urbnspice.com

Chive Oil is strained and ready to bottle

This is how to use your Chive Oil to make a fresh tasting vinaigrette:

CHIVE OIL VINAIGRETTE

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup Chive Oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped chives

METHOD:

  1. In a blender, combine all ingredients except fresh chives and blend until smooth. CHEF TIP:  I use an immersion blender and a 2 cup glass measuring cup to make this vinaigrette.
  2. Add the finely chopped chives.
  3. Use immediately or store in a glass jar for up to one week. Bring the vinaigrette to room temperature before using.

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Blanching
  • Ice Bath
  • Straining
    __________

You Might Also Enjoy:

How to Chiffonade

How to Caramelize Onions

How to Make Cauliflower Tabbouleh

How to Make the Ultimate Mac and Cheese

If you try this recipe for How to Make Chive Oil, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

 

Follow me on Social Media:

Urbnspice Facebook Page – If you like what you see here, please LIKE my page. I would love that – thank you!

Urbnspice is on Twitter    

You will find lots of fun boards on Pinterest  

I am also on Instagram