The weather over the past week in the French Alps has changed for the warmer, we’ve had temperatures of 15 degrees. Along with the change in weather my appetite has changed. Instead of hearty winter soups I’ve been craving salads, something lighter and more refreshing.
We picked up some “heritage variety” carrots in the Grand Frais, they have a lovely deep purple coloured skin, strong orange coloured flesh on the inside and are a tasty treat.
I love playing with vinaigrettes, mixing the flavours – the oils and vinegars, maybe adding mustard, maybe some chopped herbs. This week saw me making an Asian style vinaigrette and used liberally on carrot and spinach salads. Perfect.
And the chairlift? Last week saw me taking a chair up and down a mountain sans-skis. I’ve posted a slideshow and a few mumblings over on RealSnowReport. Regardless of how weird it was for me to go sans-skis the views are stunning.
Asian Style Vinaigrette
Ingredients ~
- 3 tbls of rice wine vinegar
- 3 tbls of water
- 1 tbls of sugar
- 1 tbls of fish sauce
- 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
- 1 chilli finely chopped
- 1 tbls finely chopped fresh coriander
Method ~
- Put the rice wine vinegar, water and sugar in a small pan on a low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, do not boil the liquid.
- As soon as the sugar is dissolved remove from the heat and put the liquid in a small serving bowl.
- Add the fish sauce and stir it in.
- Now add the garlic and chilli and leave the vinaigrette to fully cool.
- When ready to use add the fresh coriander.
Serving ~
When ready to eat, add some of the vinaigrette and a dash of oil (not olive, something light) to the salad, mix in well. Now munch and crunch.
Roll on summer when I’ll be picking and eating home-grown carrots and spinach….. For now, the forecast is for cooler weather and some snow, maybe it will be a soup week.
Your “report” and the accompanying photos was beautiful, Claire. It’s easy to see why you would wish to spend Winter there. I too have been smitten with salads lately. Not only do I like the salads you’ve suggested, I can’t wait to try the vinaigrette. I bet adding the fish sauce works wonders! Thanks for sharing both the recipes and your chairlift ride.
Thank you John, it was a rather crazy thing to do! I’m a bit surprised you looked as if I’m right you are not a fan of heights
You are very brave – I’m too scared of falling to go on one!
Thanks, I’ve been on them lots of times but with skis. It is a matter of trust and a dollop of skill when it comes to getting on and off them!
Bundle up my dear because it’s lunchtime back ‘home’, and it’s 3C. I’m so glad that I wasn’t tempted into planting anything alive in my garden yet. Brrrrrr……
Oh brrr indeed. I hear there has been some rain, which is positive on two fronts, 1) the resevoirs and the gardens need it, 2) it usually means snow in the Alps when it rains at home 🙂
I like both salads! Stay warm!
I don’t think I could survive without salads and raw food
I would think going back down would be scarier than going up? Thanks for sharing this salad.. it’s so colorful!
I thought it would be as well but I think by then I’d got a bit more used to the idea. The thing that weirded me out most was not having skis on!
Beautiful and so delicious… Thank you dear Claire, with my love, nia
Thank you my dear Nia
Your vinaigrette sounds delicious, Claire, and the carrots are gorgeous.
the carrots were a fabulous colour, I hadn’t planned on blogging about them, but when I saw them in the dish I caouldn’t resist taking photos. tasty too!
of course when i read “changed for the warmer, we’ve had temperatures of 15 degrees.” I thought maybe you’d cracked your skull as well as your arm! 😉 😉 Then I realized this silly American needed to pull out the celsius to fahrenheit equation!
LOL needless to say, just under 60 degrees is WAAYYYYYY more salad enticing!
ha ha, I forget about things like that! And no I haven’t had a bump on the head, but I bet for you in Florida it must seem VERY cold here in comparison 🙂
Beautiful looking salad – we don´t get any of those lovely varieties here and I struggle to grow carrots, so I shall just have to content myself with looking at your lovely photos!
What a shame about not being able to grow carrots. I haven’t been able to grow them in the ground yet, too much clay, but I grow them in boxes of sandy compost. The only thing is they need more water.
It really has warmed up since you have returned. Love the color of your carrot salad.
The temperatures have now started to drop again, Spring in the Alps can be very varied, one day wram and sunny then next cold and snowy. Claire
This looks great–and a great idea to have a vinaigrette that works on two such different salads!
Hi there and thanks, the vinaigrette is really versatile and keeps well in a jar in the fridge
Lovely salad and I of course love the Asian salad dressing you created, big thumbs up from me :))
Thank you. I could eat crunchy salads with Asian dressing till the cows come home 🙂
I love the sound if the vinaigrette. Soups and salads – two of my favorite food categories, I eat them all year round. Thanks for the recipe.
I know what you mean about soups and salads being mainstays, me too!
The salads look very inviting.
Thank you Shimon, consider yourself invited!
I love the color of those carrot shreds..they are like a sunset in a plate!
A sunset, that’s a lovely picture you have painted for me!
The purple carrots make such a welcome and splashy surprise!
I love the word splashy combined with surprise. It actaully makes me think of puddles and wellies 🙂