Tag: pomegranate vinaigrette

Pomegranate Recipes Two Ways: Salad and Duck

Pomegranate Recipes Two Ways: Salad and Duck

Pomegranate Recipes Two Ways
Vibrant Winter Salad and Crispy-Skin Roast Duck

We’re coming up on the tail end of pomegranate season in the U.S., which runs from September through January, making now the perfect time to take advantage of this beautiful fruit. With their jewel-like arils, pomegranates bring a bright pop of color, a refreshing balance of sweet and tart, and plenty of natural antioxidants.

In today’s recipes, pomegranates appear in two very different dishes: a composed butter lettuce salad and a roast duck with mashed potatoes. Both use pomegranate arils and pomegranate molasses, yet the fruit plays a distinct role in each—bringing brightness and contrast to the salad, and cutting through the richness of the duck with sweet-tart depth.

Pomegranate Recipes

Continue reading “Pomegranate Recipes Two Ways: Salad and Duck”

Bryce Pork Chop

Bryce Pork Chop

Bryce Pork Chop

Grilled French-Cut Kurobuta Pork Chop
Fondue Potatoes, Thyme Roasted Carrots
Sage-Scented Croutons, Fried Sage Leaves
Pomegranate Vinaigrette

The Bryce Pork Chop is as visually striking as it is flavorful. A grilled French-cut Kurobuta pork chop rests on a bed of creamy fondue potatoes at the center of a shallow bowl, encircled by a pomegranate vinaigrette that adds tang and subtle sweetness.

Thyme-roasted carrots bring warm earthy orange tones, while sage-scented croutons and crisp fried sage leaves add texture, aroma, and a lush green accent reminiscent of the rocks, sagebrush, and evergreens that dot the landscape.

The dish’s palette—rosy pork, golden potatoes, vibrant carrots, and reddish-brown vinaigrette—evokes the dramatic layers and hues of Bryce Canyon, making it a plate that’s both artful and deeply satisfying.

Bryce Canyon National Park

The landscape itself is a mosaic of red and orange hoodoos, sandy soil, sagebrush flats, and pine forests. The contrast between the warm stone spires and the green sage and pine gives Bryce Canyon its striking, painterly beauty — the same harmony of tones this pork chop dish evokes.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Though it’s not true culinary sage, sagebrush has a similar earthy aroma, which is why the green fried sage leaves in this dish feel like a natural echo of the Bryce Canyon landscape — a nod to those silvery-green shrubs scattered among the canyon’s warm, sunlit rock.

Kurobuta Pork Chop

This dish was inspired by a fabulous al fresco dinner at Stone Hearth Grille in Tropic, Utah near Bryce Canyon.

Stone Hearth Grille at Bryce Canyon

Bryce Pork Chop Recipe

Continue reading “Bryce Pork Chop”

Arugula Borage Salad, Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Arugula and Borage Salad

Arugula and Borage Salad
Feta, Pomegranate Arils, Pistachio Slivers
Pomegranate Vinaigrette

It’s April and the borage is blooming! These electric blue star-shaped flowers have a mild cucumber taste and a soft texture. They make a striking addition to any salad.

Here, peppery arugula is accented with borage, giving the salad a distinctive visual emphasis. Feta brings salty-tangy-creamy notes while sweet-sour pomegranate arils add another layer of jewel-like color and a crunchy texture. Pistachios add that distinctive nutty flavor.

Pomegranate vinaigrette ties it all together with sweet-savory-zippy characteristics. Serve the dressing on the side for better presentation. Pair this lovely spring salad with a glass of rosé, of course.

Salad

  • arugula
  • borage
  • olive oil
  • pomegranate arils
  • feta, crumbled
  • pistachio slivers
  • salt and pepper

Toss arugula lightly with olive oil. Gently toss in the flowers. Place salad on serving plates and top with pomegranate arils, feta, and pistachio slivers. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a few more flowers on top.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

  • 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 T. pomegranate molasses
  • 2 T. rice vinegar (not seasoned)
  • 2 t. dijon mustard
  • 1 t. garlic, minced
  • 1 T. shallot, minced
  • salt and pepper

Combine ingredients in a jar and shake well. Serve vinaigrette in a small glass pitcher on the side.

How to Prepare Borage for Food

Unfortunately I see many photographs of borage flowers in food with the sepals still attached. The reddish-brown sepals are covered with bristly hairs, they are not something you would want to eat in a salad.

Borage

To separate the corolla from the sepals, simply pinch the middle of the star and pull. Rinse the flowers in a bowl of cool water to remove any dirt or little bugs.

Eat Flowers, Be Happy

Here is a link to all of my Edible Flower posts, photos, and recipes.

Autumn Squash Salad, Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Acorn Squash Salad, Korean Pear, Farro, Spicy Pumpkin Seeds, Gorgonzola, Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Autumn Squash Salad

Acorn Squash, Korean Pear, Mixed Lettuces
Farro, Smoky Spicy Pumpkin Seeds, Gorgonzola
Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Looking for a salad that just screams Fall? Look no further. Crisp, juicy, sweet Korean pear contrasts the tender roasted acorn squash while farro adds a chewiness and nutty earthy notes. Crumbly, salty bleu-veined gorgonzola and smoky spicy pumpkin seeds add amplitude. It is all harmonized by the dressing, a deep ruby-hued tart vinaigrette. Color, texture, flavor, a feeling of abundance – it’s all right here in this stunning seasonal salad.

How to Choose, Cut, and Cook an Acorn Squash

Continue reading “Autumn Squash Salad, Pomegranate Vinaigrette”