Lingonberry Vinaigrette

The other day while I was on hold with American Airlines, I spent the hours perusing recipes at Epicurious.com. I love the site, and its recipe search engine is very smart. You can search for a specific ingredient, for only dessert recipes, holiday dishes, and so forth.

I was just searching randomly, to pass the time, but then I came across this recipe: Red Cabbage Salad with Green Apple, Lingonberry Preserves, and Toasted Walnuts. The salad wasn’t too different than ones I’ve made; I’ve even blogged about a couple that are very similar, because I happen to love hearty, crunchy salads. It was the dressing, made with lingonberry preserves, that really caught my attention.

So that idea stayed in my head, and when I was at Whole Foods last week I found them! Swedish Lingonberries! I couldn’t wait to play with them and make a vinaigrette.

From the list of ingredients, lingonberries, sugar, and pectin, I expected the lingonberries to be very jam-like. In fact, they weren’t very sweet at all, and didn’t have a jam-like texture to them either. So I got creative, and here’s what I did.

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Lingonberry Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons beet juice, from canned beets
4 tablespoons lingonberries
1/2 teaspoon sugar

To begin, I added all of the above ingredients to a blender jar, because that’s second nature to me. Then it dawned on me. With beautiful, whole lingonberries in the dressing, it would be much prettier with the ingredients left as is, instead of blending them all together.

So I simply shook the ingredients in the blender jar, and poured the vinaigrette into a serving bowl.

My salad was simple – Romaine lettuce, purple cabbage, carrots, grilled chicken, beets, and a few pine nuts.

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I also decided to decorate the salad with a few extra lingonberries, so I rinsed some of the “jam” gently with warm water to separate the individual lingonberries.

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Just now as I’m writing this post, I looked back at the recipe that inspired me, and I wish I’d included apple in my salad. With the lingonberries not being as sweet as I expected, a fruit would have been a delicious addition.

But in any case, this vinaigrette is wonderful. Only slightly sweet, and slightly tart at the same time.

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note: If you don’t love beets, omit the beet juice. I added it, again, because I wanted to offset the sweetness from the berries, but it wasn’t necessary.

By Published On: September 22nd, 201425 Comments on Lingonberry Vinaigrette

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

25 Comments

  1. adistinguishedpalate.wordpress.com September 22, 2014 at 8:20 AM - Reply

    I love lingonberries..

    • chef mimi September 22, 2014 at 3:38 PM - Reply

      I wish I could try them just picked!

  2. A Famished Foodie September 22, 2014 at 11:17 AM - Reply

    Ligonberries are great! Have you heard that epicurious is being folded into bon apetit? Not sure what this means yet except for some staff cuts and the websites merging, but I hope not too much changes.

    • chef mimi September 22, 2014 at 3:37 PM - Reply

      Interesting. I love epicurious, so I hope it doesn’t change too much…

  3. dwdirwin September 22, 2014 at 12:57 PM - Reply

    They remind me a little of cranberries- I think it would make a wonderful dressing for a Thanksgiving salad

    • chef mimi September 22, 2014 at 3:37 PM - Reply

      Oh that would be pretty for the holidays!

  4. HostessAtHeart September 22, 2014 at 2:49 PM - Reply

    I’ve never had Ligonberries, but your salad is beautiful!

    • chef mimi September 22, 2014 at 3:36 PM - Reply

      Me neither! I wish I could taste them freshly picked!

  5. cookingwithauntjuju.com September 22, 2014 at 4:55 PM - Reply

    We have 2 Whole Foods where I live so I am sure I can find these berries. Since they are related to blueberries and cranberries I am sure I would love this vinaigrette :)

    • chef mimi September 23, 2014 at 10:33 AM - Reply

      It’s a lovely combination – the vinegar and the berries!

  6. lapadia September 22, 2014 at 6:10 PM - Reply

    I love your vinaigrette and especially love that you used the beet juice, too! I’ve been mixing some beet juice with a pomegranate vinegar I found at Trader Joe’s = a wonderful combination. I wonder …are the lingonberries similar in taste with pomegranate. hmmm.

    • chef mimi September 23, 2014 at 10:33 AM - Reply

      I don’t think they’re as tart as pomegranate seeds, but they’re not super sweet either. Problem is, I’ve never tasted fresh lingonberries, so I’m really not the one to ask!

  7. tableofcolors September 23, 2014 at 8:48 AM - Reply

    What a great idea…we have so many lingonberries that I do not always know what to do with all of them. Most of them end up in juice or made into a berry porridge or one of my favorites is to make a simple “sorbet” by putting frozen lingonberries with a bit of sugar into a blender or food processor until nearly minced and then served with meat.

    • chef mimi September 23, 2014 at 10:32 AM - Reply

      All of those sound like fabulous options!!!

  8. Shanna Koenigsdorf Ward September 23, 2014 at 10:44 AM - Reply

    Mimi, I love salads and fruity dressings. I can’t wait to try this salad. PS – Last photo is awesome!

  9. dedy oktavianus pardede September 23, 2014 at 11:35 AM - Reply

    wow, simply delicious and tangy dressing chef!!!
    the photograph is stunnign too…

  10. Greenshoots Photography September 23, 2014 at 12:01 PM - Reply

    Love the recipe. If you have a problem finding lingon berries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea lingonberry or cowberry) you can always find them at IKEA in their Swedish shop and of course you can always go to the forests and collect your own they can be found throughout the more northerly parts of the northern hemisphere.

    • chef mimi September 23, 2014 at 2:25 PM - Reply

      Which is exactly where i don’t live! But thanks for the info!

  11. Conor Bofin September 23, 2014 at 3:09 PM - Reply

    Very nice Mimi. It looks both healthy and appetising. A good mix.

  12. Peter - The Roaming GastroGnome September 24, 2014 at 9:31 AM - Reply

    Never use lignon berries before but I do have some preserves I keep in the fridge for making sauces, like with roast duck.

    • chef mimi September 24, 2014 at 9:50 AM - Reply

      Preserves would in vinaigrettes as well as cocktails!

  13. sakinah30 October 2, 2014 at 11:45 AM - Reply

    Reblogged this on Cappuccino.

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