From the menu of . . . Durty Kelly’s Public House, 488 N. Main Street, Alpharetta. 770-667-0599, http://durtykellys.com
Q: I often go to Durty Kelly’s Pub in Alpharetta and always order their wonderful strawberry salad with champagne vinaigrette. It is the perfect summer salad. Would you be able to ask them for the recipe? The vinaigrette is amazing! Thanks so much!
Mary Coffin, Alpharetta
A: Jason Drenner, Durty Kelly’s general manager, tells us this recipe has been on the menu since the pub opened three years ago. The recipe was created by Louis and Kelly Reynaud, the pub’s owners. “Although most people come for our delicious Irish fare, our strawberry salad is one of our top sellers,” Drenner said.
We’ve adapted the pub’s recipe for the vinaigrette down from the large quantities they need to meet their customers’ demand. You’ll still end up with at least double what you need for this recipe. It will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week. Because the vinaigrette contains olive oil which turns solid when cold, remember to allow the vinaigrette to come to room temperature when ready to use it again.
The most unusual ingredient in the vinaigrette is vanilla syrup, the kind used to flavor coffee drinks among other things. You can find vanilla flavoring syrup on the shelves near the coffee beans and instant coffee in most grocery stores. There are dark and light versions available. At Durty Kelly’s, they use the dark.
We’ve run many recipes for candied or glazed nuts over the years, but you can now find them in small packages generally near the bagged lettuces at your grocery store, displayed alongside other salad add-ins like croutons.
Is there a restaurant recipe you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to svanatten@ajc.com and put "From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
Durty Kelly’s Strawberry Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
1/2 cups vanilla flavoring syrup
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 small shallot
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3/4 cup olive oil
Salt
1 (5-ounce) container field greens
1 (3.5-ounce) package glazed walnuts
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
To make the vinaigrette, in the jar of a blender, combine syrup, vinegar, shallot and mustard. Process until combined, then slowly pour in olive oil and blend until mixture is smooth. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
When ready to serve, in a large bowl, toss greens with 1/2 cup vinaigrette. Add more if needed. Divide greens among 4 serving plates and sprinkle with walnuts, strawberries and crumbled goat cheese. Serve immediately.
Per serving, with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette: 495 calories (percent of calories from fat, 78), 16 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 45 grams fat (11 grams saturated), 30 milligrams cholesterol, 112 milligrams sodium.
Per 2-tablespoon serving of vinaigrette: 134 calories (percent of calories from fat, 89), trace protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 14 grams fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 6 milligrams sodium.
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