Reader and adventurous cook Lois Boekley deconstructed this famous Colonial Williamsburg salad. (The restaurant shared the recipe which made several gallons!) “Spiced pecans make a great snack on their own”, Lois said.  Her husband, Ken, gave this a 2 thumbs up. I can’t wait to make this “salat”.

Shield’s Tavern Seasonal Berry Salat

This delicious salad was served to my husband and me at Shield’s Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg this spring. The restaurant graciously shared the recipe for the dressing with quantities to make several gallons. I scaled down the recipe and adapted it for home kitchens. They did not share the recipe for the spiced pecans, so I came up with one by combining elements from two recipes I found. The spiced pecans also make a delicious snack.

Mixed salad greens

Sliced strawberries

Blueberries

Spiced Pecans (recipe follows)

Goat cheese, crumbled

English Malt Vinegar Dressing (recipe follows) 

For the Salad:

Arrange strawberries, blueberries, spiced pecans, and goat cheese over a bed of salad greens. Serve the dressing on the side.

For the Spiced Pecans:

1 large egg white

1 T water

1 t salt

1 lb raw pecans

1 cup granulated sugar

2 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground ginger

1 t ground coriander

 In a bowl, whisk the egg white, water, and salt together. Add the pecans and stir to coat. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and coriander; sprinkle over the pecan mixture and stir to coat. 

 Spread the mixture over a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake at 250°F for about 1 hour, or until pecans are dry and crisp, stirring occasionally. Cool completely on the sheet pan.  Store in an airtight container.

For the English Malt Vinegar Dressing (Makes about 2 c) 

2 ½ oz shallots, minced (generous ½ c)

1 medium clove garlic, minced

5 T honey

¾ t dry mustard

1 ¾ t sugar

Generous 1/8 t salt

¼ t pepper

2 ½ t Riesling

4 ½ T malt vinegar

¼ c cider vinegar

1 ¼ c vegetable oil

Roast the shallots and garlic with the honey in an 8-inch skillet on the stovetop over low heat until just turning golden brown. Cool slightly. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a blender, using the vinegar to loosen the mixture and rinse it into the blender. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and blend until smooth and emulsified. Refrigerate.