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the RARE belle

~ a southern gal's guide to all things fabulous in food, fashion, finery and frippery

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Tag Archives: Vinaigrette

fall salad belleiciousness…

28 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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blue cheese, brussels sprouts, fall salad, salad, Vinaigrette, walnuts

Here’s a new belle-ringin’ fall favorite…a Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad!  Perfect for fall dinner parties or as a Thanksgiving side, you will have this one on repeat. 

Start with about 10-12 ounces brussels sprouts 

Remove tough outer leaves and shred sprouts

Gather remaining ingredients:  1/4 c chopped walnuts, 1/4 c crumbled blue cheese, 1/4 c dried cranberries, 1 pear, diced, 2 large, thinly sliced shallots, 2 T balsamic vinegar, 2 T olive oil, 1 t dijon mustard…

Add walnuts, pear, cranberries, and blue cheese to shredded sprouts.  

Next, combine vinegar, oil, syrup and mustard, then season with a dash of salt and pepper.  Pour dressing over salad and toss.  

And…for the final step – heat about an inch of canola oil in skillet.  Fry shallots until golden.  Add shallots to salad…


and serve!

Belleicious!

a&a

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a super-Tuscan dinner…belle-icious inspiration

15 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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antipasto, Bon Appétit, epicurious, garlic, Italy, Martha Stewart, pasta, pomodoro, salad, veal, Vinaigrette

While traveling in Italy this week, we realized that it was much more fun to gather ingredients (fresh pastas, tomatoes, bread…) and wine (LOTS of wine) throughout the day for our evening meals at our villa than to sit in restaurants at the mercy of the server, chef, and fellow patrons. (Twelve southerners can get a bit rowdy…just sayin’). We had our own “chef” among us…and plenty of “help”- (a person in charge of music, someone watching the wine, a salad tosser…you get the picture).

Our “event-planner in residenza” (from The Party Girl Events…with us by coincidence)  would set the scene…


And each evening, we would start with an antipasto platter, filled with local fare…

…then our gastronome would work his magic in the kitchen!

This particular evening, “Chef John” decided a bit of veal scallopini with pasta al pomodoro and ensalada verde would hit the spot. And did it ever!!

Check out the finished product:

the entire spread…pasta, veal, salad, bread

if only this were “scratch-n-sniff” so you could get a whiff of the garlic!  (Check out this pomodoro sauce from Bon Appetit)

the veal…lightly breaded, pan sautéed and oh-so- tender…loaded with capers, mushrooms and lemon (very similar to this recipe from Epicurious)

the salad with arugula and maché, dressed with a garlic vinaigrette (try this one from Martha Stewart if you aren’t comfortable “wingin’ it”)

a very happy belle’s plate!

But just remember…this fun can be had any old Saturday night after a visit to your local farmers market and a quick phone call to ten of your closest friends. When guests show up, give them a job, pour the wine, and see where the evening takes you!

Buona apetite!!

a&a

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a scrumptious salad to take away our winter blues…

04 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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blood oranges, kale, recipes, romaine, salad, Vinaigrette

The blahs of winter can really get us down, and we often struggle to find a new and vibrant salad to perk up our menus. We decided to stroll the market and create a delish taste thrill of our own.  Here’s what we came up with…and it does not disappoint. 

Kale and Romaine Salad with Blood Oranges and Asian Vinaigrette

For the salad:

3 cups julienned Lacinato Kale

3 cups chopped romaine

1/2 diced orange pepper

1 segmented blood orange

1 diced avocado

1/4 c salted pistachios 

  

Add your kale to a large bowl and drizzle with 1/2 T olive oil and a pinch of salt 

Then add your romaine…
  

Now add your blood oranges….isn’t that color divine????

  

Your orange pepper goes in next 
  

And then zee avocado….remember, she’s a good fat!!

 

Now scatter those pistachios about  

 
The colors are amazing . 

Now you’ll toss with this easy vinaigrette:

3 T rice wine vinegar

2 T sesame oil

1T soy sauce 

1t honey 

Cracked black pepper 

Salt 

Combine all in a jar and shake vigorously.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss  

 
Et voila…a beautiful and mouthwatering salad. 

Makes 4 side servings or 2 main servings . 

Let us know what you think of our creative cooking. Feel free to adapt to your liking…that’s what we do!!
a&a

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a ridiculously belle-icious dish…

17 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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asparagus with burrata, food and wine, salad, sides, Vinaigrette

We are always looking for a a fresh take on sides and salads …ones that are delicious but beautiful to look at and even better to eat.

This Asparagus with Burrata fits the bill!

We found the burrata (a couture level of mozzarella…creamy, ooey, gooey, light and fresh) at Whole Foods. If you can’t find it, sub in a good quality mozzarella.

And, speaking of quality…the ingredients here are few and simple, so get the freshest and best quality you can locate. You will be glad you did…and craving this dish over and over.

The ingredients:


2 T fresh lemon juice

1 medium shallot , finely chopped

1T coarsley chopped parsley

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t cracked black pepper

3 T good quality olive oil

1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed

1 container Burrata or good quality mozzarella

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, shallots, parsley, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

  
    
    

In a skillet of boiling water, blanch the asparagus and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until just cooked through.

  

Transfer immediately to iced colander to stop the cooking. 

Either divide the asparagus among individual plates or place on serving platter. This can be prepared through step 2 in advance. Let all stand seperatly at room temp until ready to serve.

So beautiful, so easy, so scrumptious!!

For the original recipe (untweaked) go here.

This could be the perfect side to you Labor Day fare. Enjoy!!

a&a

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le caniche français…ooh la la!

31 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious, what's ringin' our belle

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French poodle, salad dressing, Vinaigrette

Okay y’all,

True friends share, “belle” friends share their best finds. In this case it’s a salad dressing. Now it’s important that you understand we are genuine snobs about salad dressing. We snub our noses and curl our lips at that bottled stuff. We pride ourselves on making our own dressings and experience glee that it tastes soooo much better than anything you find at the supermarket.

But we make one exception to the above statement. A vinaigrette from the French Poodle in Carmel, California. They have converted us…just this once. So much so that we have given it to friends as gifts. Packaged in wine bottles, a little goes a long way.

The French Poodle knows their salad dressing. We should know. We order it a case at a time.

http://www.thefrenchpoodlecarmel.com

french poodle vinaigrette

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