Autumn Arugula House Salad with Fig Vinaigrette
User Reviews
5
Autumn Arugula House Salad with Fig Vinaigrette
Description
This salad features baby arugula leaves tossed with thin honeycrisp apple slices, dried tart cherries, and goat cheese for creaminess. Spiced pecans add a sweet and smoky crunch thanks to a coating of brown sugar and chipotle chili powder caramelized in a skillet. The fig vinaigrette blends apple cider vinegar, fig preserves, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes whisked into olive oil.
The combination brings a balance of peppery greens, sweet fruit notes, creamy tang from goat cheese, and a smoky-sweet crunch from the pecans. The vinaigrette’s bright acidity and subtle heat tie the components together, making this a distinctive autumnal salad served as a starter or side.
Prepare the pecans carefully to avoid burning and cool them before adding to the salad. The vinaigrette can be made ahead and stored refrigerated for up to a week. Toss salad ingredients just before serving to maintain freshness and texture.
Ingredients
spiced pecans
- ½ cup pecans whole
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- salt kosher salt
- black pepper kosher salt
fig vinaigrette
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fig preserves
- 2 garlic finely minced or pressed, cloves
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes crushed
- salt kosher salt
- black pepper kosher salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
salad
- 6 to 8 cups baby arugula or spring greens
- salt kosher salt
- black pepper kosher salt
- 1 honeycrisp apple thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup dried tart cherries or cranberries
- 2 to 3 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Instructions
- To make the pecans, heat the pecans in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the sugar, chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the sugar melts and is caramely, coating all of the pecans - about 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t take your eyes off of this as they can burn quickly! Transfer the pecans to a piece of parchment paper to let them cool. Break them into pieces if they are clumped - you can also chop them too.
- To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar, preserves, garlic, red pepper flakes and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. This can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for about a week!
- To assemble the salad, toss the greens with a big pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Top with the thinly sliced apple, tart cherries, goat cheese and pecans. Drizzle all over with the dressing! Serve!
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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