Blackberry Jam Dressing with Basil

The growing season is here.   Yeah!   I am ready for home grown veggies and fruit for salad.   Unfortunately, all I have harvested so far is carrots, beets and a bit of lettuce.    We did buy some peaches (allegedly from east Texas) during our recent trip to Houston.   We are trying to eat them all but some needed used in a salad, I thought.

And, since the growing season is here, I have previously referenced my need to use up the jam and jelly that I put up last season.   I ran across a recipe for “Blackberry Preserve Salad Dressing” in one of my Junior League books  (Tables of Content by the Birmingham Junior League to be exact).

I adapted this recipe by decreasing the amount of jam, using canola oil, and adding balsamic instead of red wine vinegar.   I used a forgotten jar of Blackberry-Thyme jam.

Blackberry Jam Dressing with Basil

3/4 c. canola oil
1 c. blackberry jam (half-pint jar)
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/8 c. basil leaves (I like to use pesto basil like boxwood or Perpetuo.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.   Store in refrigerator.

Note:   If you can’t stand blackberry seeds, you will need to strain this or use a seedless jam.

 

Love these colors.

Love these colors.   The basil is freshly picked from the herb garden.

 

I tried to do some lovely squiggles to show the color of this dressing. Guess a seed got in the way. I present "The Blob."

I tried to do some lovely squiggles to show the color of this dressing. Guess a seed got in the way.
I present “The Blob.”

I served this dressing on a spinach-spring mix salad with peaches, red onion, and grilled chicken.

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Here is my next adaptation

Rosemary-Peach Jam Dressing

3/4 c. canola oil
1 c. peach jam
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1 t. rosemary, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.   Store in refrigerator.

Eliot's Eats Peach Rosemary DressingI kicked this up a bit by using a peach-marmalade and  served this as a sauce on grilled pork chops.   It was beyond words.    In fact, The Hubs went on and on about how good it was and that it would be great on grilled chicken too.

 

Depending on the thickness of your jam, this dressing might be pretty thick.    You can thin it out with a bit of water if desired.   Feel free to cut these recipes in half because it does make quite a bit.

I am sitting here thinking of all the fruity, jammy, herby concoctions for other dressing and sauce combinations—nectarine and thyme, apple and rosemary, peach and basil….

Side note:  What did we do all weekend?   We put up these 10″x10″, twelve foot tall cedar posts for our new pergola.  Stay tuned.  IMAG3664

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