Name: Fresh Apple and Parsley Dressing with Greens
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 apple (about 7 ounces), unpeeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes; 2 tablespoons cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce , such as Tabasco; 1 scallion , chopped coarse; 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves; 3/4 teaspoon table salt; 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 - 3 tablespoons water; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 2 quarts mixed greens , washed and dried; suggestions include arugula and watercress

Why This Recipe Works

We built our salad dressing recipes around ingredients not regularly used in dressings, including apples, raisins, carrot juice, and ruby port. We balanced these ingredients with fats such as cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, nut oils, and yogurt and punctuated the dressings with condiments such as chili paste and orange marmalade. To give our dressing recipes more depth and intensity of flavor, we turned to the stovetop to reduce wine and juices and toast spices and sesame seeds.

Before You Begin

If using a tart apple, add up to 1 tablespoon brown sugar. The dressing is nice on spicy greens like arugula and watercress, with garnishes such as shaved Parmesan, toasted nuts, and thin slices of apple or fennel. Use about 2 tablespoons of this dressing per quart of greens, serving two.

Instructions

Combine apple, vinegar, hot sauce, scallion, parsley, salt, and pepper in blender; pulse, scraping down blender jar and adding water as needed, until very finely chopped. With machine running, gradually add oil, scraping down blender jar as needed. (Can be refrigerated up to 1 week.)

To serve four, toss greens with 4 tablespoons dressing; serve imediately.