Here’s an incredibly good fall and winter vinaigrette…it’s served hot!  It is great on a spinach salad with some dried cranberries, nuts and feta or bleu cheese.  I got the basic recipe for the vinaigrette (I’ve changed it over the years) from Sarah Leah Chase’s book Cold Weather Cooking.  I highly recommend this book; it is without a doubt one of the best cookbooks ever.  I think you can still buy it…it’s worth every penny.  Anyway, I’ve been making a version of this vinaigrette for years now, but then it struck me how good this would be on a slaw.  Since you toss the salad with the hot vinaigrette, the greens would hold up better…it was a win-win.  So here it is.

First, we’re going to make a reduction.  We’re reducing apple cider, i.e. we’re boiling out much of the water and leaving behind a concentrated apple flavor.  This picture is at about the half-way point, because I forgot to take a picture at the beginning!  It works best to use a shallow skillet; this is a 14-inch pan…it’s that whole surface area thing…very scientific.

It will take about 45 minutes or more to reduce an entire gallon of apple cider to a mere 2 cups!!  The reduction will thicken as is cools; it keeps well and you’re going to make this vinaigrette again and again.  So when you have a lazy afternoon, why not boil down 2 gallons?  You’ll have 4 cups of reduction which you can add to soups, sauces, stews, etc. or freeze it in ice cubes so you have small portions to use.  You can skim this, but I don’t worry about that, as I think it contributes from a flavor standpoint.

 

Look at how thick the cooled reduction is.  Whisk away….

 

COOK’S NOTE: For the slaw I use a combination of finely chopped Savoy cabbage, kale, broccoli florets (if I have a large stalk, I peel it and shred it), diced apples or pears, dried cranberries or cherries, crumbled bacon (from above) and toasted pecans. The dressing can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. To serve, reheat in the microwave, on 50% power, until hot. You may need to re-whisk it to recombine the ingredients.

The Spice Mill has a great Pumpkin Pie Spice, but I usually make my own, as I only use a small amount during the season and the amount below works well for me.  My version has more allspice and I use Vietnamese cinnamon instead of regular.