Harvest House Salad with Apple Orchard Vinaigrette

Years ago while I was out to lunch, I saw on the menu that they had a seasonal apple vinaigrette as a choice of dressing for their salads. Of course I had to order it and it was one of the best salad dressings I had ever had. As soon as lunch was over and the bill was paid I went home and tried to recreate how they made it. A few tries later I had mastered my own apple salad dressing that I thought was even better than the one I had that day. Some of my apple orchard dressing tossed with some fresh mixed greens, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, and some freshly sliced apples makes the perfect salad to enjoy during the autumn months. Great for a lite lunch or dinner or as a first course for an Autumn themed dinner.

1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
3/4 cup of Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar
A Pinch of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
A splash of Apple Cider (Optional)

Salad Greens
Dried Cranberries
1/2 cup of Walnuts
1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar
Freshly Sliced Apple (Honey Crisp, Gala, Jazz, or Pink Lady Apples work best)

In a small saute' pan, add the walnuts and toast them over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Toasting the walnuts in the dry pan will bring out their natural oils and heighten their flavor.  Add one tablespoon of  brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of water to the pan and stir together until all the nuts are coated. Add a pinch of kosher salt and Cinnamon to the walnuts and set aside.

Wash and slice the Apple into thin slices. If you're slicing your apples ahead of time, a little bit of lemon juice will keep them from browning.

For the dressing whisk together the dijon mustard, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, the cinnamon, and the apple cider together. Slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing has emulsified.

For a nice presentation, toss as much dressing as you like with the salad greens and pile it in the center of a white plate. Scatter a few dried cranberries and our candied walnuts over top. Neatly fan out our apple slices in the center of the salad greens and top with a small spoonful of our salad dressing.