Hilltop Salad with Raspberry Chipotle Vinaigrette

Have you ever been to San Antonio? Walked the river walk? Ridden the trolley to the Missions?

If you have not done any of the above, you need to!! San Antonio, Texas is beautiful. I would go back there in a heart beat.

My travel buddies and I (Renee and Chris) went there for a long weekend. There is a trolley you can ride that will take you all over the city to the tourist areas. You can ride the trolley all day long and get on and off at the sites you want to see.

One of our stops was in the German area where the Guenther family had a flour mill. The house where the Guenther family lived is now a restaurant appropriately called the Guenther House. After touring the grounds we decided to eat lunch there, which is where I discovered this wonderful salad dressing. It was so good, I decided to create a salad that would go well with the dressing and put it on the menu.

I love the combination of sweet and savory and that combination is what this salad is all about.

Sich erfreuen y'all!!

Teri

Notes:
You can use any type of lettuce you like. I used a spring mix for this salad. It worked well.

Candied walnuts

1/2 stick of butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cups walnuts

Melt butter and add brown sugar. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Take off heat and add walnuts. Stir until Walnuts are coated. Spread in single layer on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. (I use my silpat) Let cool.

Raspberry Chipotle vinaigrette 

1 cup raspberry jam 
1 tbls of pureed chipotle pepper in adobe sauce(you can add more and make it as spicey as you would like)
1 cup of oil
1/2 cup of vinegar (I use a white wine vinegar, but you could use a raspberry or cider if you like)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all of the above in a bowl. Put in cruet or bottle. Something with a lid that will allow you to shake it up without going all over the place!

To assemble the salad 

I use a spring mix for my salad, but you can use any type of lettuce/spinach you like. Sprinkle a handful of craisins on the salad, a handful of Gorgonzola cheese and then a handful of the candied walnuts. Top with the Raspberry Chipotle Vinaigrette and enjoy!!