Roasted Shallot Walnut Vinaigrette

Last week’s almost Autumn like weather was a welcome change and teased me with what I had to look forward to in the coming months.  Having been holed up in the apartment for the better part of August, I hadn’t been exposed to the soul sucking heat that had its grip on DC.  But just when I thought I’d escaped Summer’s grasp, Mother Nature decided to throw in some more hot days this past Labor Day weekend.  On Saturday I was hit with the bitch known as DC Summers.  And I really wanted to sucker punch her back…instead I made this super easy dressing.

I know what you’re thinking: “a recipe for salad dressing?? Really Shaw Girl? Have you gotten THAT lazy?”.  No I haven’t, thank you (kind of rude of you to say that though, don’t you think?).  This vinaigrette isn’t just about the recipe, but more about the wonders of Marshall’s.  The other day, I was idly going through my Google reader and saw this post from the Arugula Files about finding lovely cooking oils in Marshall’s of all places.  I’ve been known to buy a ton of kitchen gadgets, bowls and plates from the Housewares section there but I always assumed the food items were dated and sketchy.  Imagine my surprise to read that Marshall’s had La Tourangelle oils…for half price!  It didn’t take me long to head over to the Marshall’s in my neighborhood and sure enough there was the familiar little can of walnut oil staring back at me.  At this point, everything becomes a blur, as I’m sure I bought out the stock of La Tourangelle oils in a frenzy of excitement.  We won’t talk about how much I ended up buying…it’s best that way.  I will say that if you go to La Tourangelle’s website, there are a slew of recipes featuring their oils, one of which is this divine roasted shallot walnut vinaigrette.

Roasted Shallot Walnut Vinaigrette (from La Tourangelle)

4 small shallots, peeled

3/4 cup + 6 tbsp toasted walnut oil (disclosure: I only used 3/4 cup and 3 tbsp of the oil for fear it would be too oily)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/8 cup sherry vinegar

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Toss the whole, peeled shallots in 2 tablespoons of the walnut oil and place them in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake until the shallots are tender, about 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

In a blender, combine the roasted shallots, mustard and vinegars and puree.  Slowly add the 3/4 cup of walnut oil and continue to blend until all the ingredients are combined.

Tagged as: Food, recipes, Salad Dressing, Salad Dressing Recipe, Salad Dressing Recipes