New Year's Brunch: Mâche Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
Editor's note: SE intern Kerry Saretsky is so considerate. Not only does she provide us all with some great New Year's Eve Champagne cocktails, she takes care of us for the morning after with some brunch recipes.
In the dead of winter, it seems like everyone is making something with pomegranate in it. Pomegranates are, according to Greek myth anyway, the reason that winter exists in the first place.
I like this salad dressing made with pomegranate molasses because it is in keeping with the season, and yet, most people don’t use pomegranate molasses, so it offers a taste of the unexpected. Pomegranate molasses is a concentrated syrup of pomegranate juice. I bought by bottle of Melasse de Pommes de Grenade, a product of Lebanon, for $3.69 at a specialty grocery store, and I highly recommend that you do the same. It is simultaneously equally sweet and tart, and not only imbues flavor into this dressing but also helps to bind it.
Mâche is a salad that I ate nearly every day in England, where it is called lamb’s lettuce. The leaves are tender and petite and ever-more popular in the United States. Whereas the rest of my New Year’s brunch is heavy and savory, this salad is a spritely contrast that lightens it up.
About the author: Kerry Saretsky is a Serious Eats intern and the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way.
Mâche Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
- serves 4 to 6 -
Ingredients
1 bag of washed mâche
1 teaspoon grated shallot (from 1 very small shallot)
1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
Salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Combine the grated shallot, salt, pepper, vinegar, and molasses in a blender. Blend to combine.
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the blender running.
3. Remove the dressing to a small bowl, and stir in by hand the mustard.
4. Dress the mâche with just enough dressing to coat.
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5 Comments:
The only thing the salad seems to be missing is Lobster which goes incredibly well with Mâche.... IMHO of course....
Pavlov at 2:24PM on 12/31/08
I love pomegranate juice so this sounds fantastic.
saraann at 3:29PM on 12/31/08
Oh Pavvie ~ YES! YES! YES!
izatryt at 4:58PM on 12/31/08
I made a pomegranate molasses dressing for Christmas Eve dinner by cooking down POM brand pure pomegranate juice with some agave nectar. Reducing it to about half and a thick molasses. It was tasty but seems more cost effective to buy this molasses. Did you find it in New York and if so, what store carries it?
Thanks!
midgepingleton at 9:32PM on 01/02/09
I love using pomegranate molasses in our recipes. For our Squash and Pomegranate Salad we use a dressing with pomegranate molasses, cumin, coriander, lemon, and olive oil. Its so delicious and goes great with sweet squash!
http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/squash-and-pomegranate-salad-recipe
sophia kitchencaravan at 8:35PM on 01/07/09