Roasted squash & warm cider vinaigrette

This fall  salad, is both tasty & pretty.

I’ve pulled together a mix of sweet &

bitter greens, topped with roasted rosemary squash.

You can cube, 2 cups of  butternut squash yourself…

or some markets even do it for you!

I make my own toasted rosemary brioche croutons

from left over bread…

The bread will soak up the warm dressing!

That dressing combines: good apple cider, maple syrup, champagne

vinegar, roasted shallots, plump

golden raisins and Dijon mustard. Um…YUM!

I don’t know, there is something about the

 bitterness  of the baby arugula and

the sweetness  of the squash & the warm cider dressing with that bite

from the Dijon…that is soo  good! And don’t forget to sprinkle a few

toasted pecans on top, or your nut of choice.

Oh, and my handy dandy, little foil roasting compartments…make 

cooking and cleanup a breeze! You can do this all  on

one baking sheet! Crank up the oven to 375.

Drizzle the croutons with olive oil and toss them with

chopped rosemary & salt and pepper. 

They’ll take about 10 to 15 minutes to get golden brown, then pull them off.

The diced shallots are drizzled with a little olive oil and seasoned with S & P.

They take 25 minutes or so to roast and lastly, the

squash, is tossed with olive oil, a splash of  Vermont style syrup,

more chopped rosemary and S & P.  It will become tender in 30 to 35 minutes,

with some of the smaller pieces,

caramelizing around the edges. Oh darn.

Okay, here’s what you’ll need for the dressing:

1/2 cup good olive oil

1/2 cup cider

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1.5 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Vermont maple syrup

1 tablespoon Fleur de sel

6 grinds or so of white pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and

add the roasted shallots and 1/4 cup golden raisins.

Simmer for five minutes or so until combined and the 

golden raisins are soft & plump.

Serve the mixed greens…and few handfuls of baby

arugula, topped with the roasted squash, brioche croutons and toasted nuts.

Generously drizzle on the warm vinaigrette.

Oh, how I love fall,