Spring Garden Salad with Shallot and Candied Ginger Dressing

Salad Ingredients

Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes

Papaya Watermelon or Rockmelon

Cucumber Ribbons

Goats Cheese

Fresh Herbs

Edible flowers

You can use any fresh seasonal ingredients for this salad.

Build the salad by slicing fresh produce and layer onto a serving platter.

Lightly dress with Shallot and Candied Ginger Dressing.

Crumble goats’ cheese over top and garnish with edible flowers and herbs.

Shallot and Candied Ginger Dressing

50g ginger

100ml sugar syrup (see below)

50ml red wine vinegar

1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (extra)

splash extra-virgin olive oil

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Sugar syrup

500g white sugar

500ml (2 cups) cold water

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For the sugar syrup, put sugar and water in a saucepan and bring boil until sugar dissolves.

Makes about 1 litre.

Sugar syrup lasts for a long time and is handy to have made up.

Store in a sterilised jar in the refrigerator.

For the dressing, peel, and slice ginger very thinly with a sharp knife.

Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes and refresh in cold water three times.

Heat 100ml of sugar syrup and 50ml of red wine vinegar together and pour over blanched ginger.

Let cool, place in fridge for at least a couple of hours for flavours to develop.

Finely chop the ginger (retaining pickling liquor), mix with the sliced shallot and 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, olive oil and asplash of pickling liquor.

NOTE: Light Cooking - S1