Asparagus Salad with Balsamic Dressing

Nine times out of ten, I prepare fresh asparagus by roasting it in a hot oven, but every now and then I'll do something a little different.  This week I made a colorful salad with a really delicious balsamic dressing.  Truth be known, the dressing is the real star of the show here.  Use it as a dip on a crudite platter. 

Trim and discard the woody ends of the asparagus, then cut the spears into 1 1/2 or 2-inch lengths.

Also needed, sliced almonds and chopped bell peppers.  I used a mix of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers.

The delicious dressing is made of dijon mustard, really good quality balsamic vinegar, dried marjoram, olive oil, granulated garlic, and kosher salt.

Combine the ingredients together with a teeny tiny whisk.  I like things that are teeny tiny.

Okay, time to blanch the asparagus.  To do this, place the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for just a few minutes.  They should soften a little, but still retain some crispness, and their color should remain bright green.   

Immediately remove the asparagus from the boiling water and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process and lock in that vibrant color.

When the asparagus has cooled completely, drain it well.

Place the drained asparagus on a clean kitchen towel.

Pat the asparagus dry and toss with chopped bell peppers and balsamic dressing. Place on serving platter and sprinkle with sliced almonds.  

Asparagus Salad with Balsamic Dressing

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons very good quality balsamic vinegar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

• 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

• 1/2 cup diced bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow)

• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, optional

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic, olive oil, dijon, marjoram, and garlic powder; set aside.

2. In a large sauce pan, bring 4 cups of water and a healthy pinch of salt to a boil.

3. Cook asparagus pieces for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender; remove from pan and cool in ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

4. Drain asparagus and pat dry; place on a serving platter and drizzle with balsamic dressing before topping with diced bell peppers and almonds.

Perfect Party Pound Cake

Here's a recipe for the perfect party pound cake baked in a 9x13x2-inch rectangular cake pan (I used this professional pan).  It's a very rich, dense cake so a little goes a long way, and it stays fresh for several days when stored in an airtight container.  You can adjust the flavor by changing the extracts used, but the recipe below is how I like it - it's especially good topped with either my Chocolate Ganache or my Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream.  

Spray pan well with Baker's Joy to prevent sticking if you plan to unmold the cake. And for large cakes like this one, I like to line the bottom of the pan with parchment as well.  

The cake is ready to come out of the oven with a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• professional cake pan https://amzn.to/3oxUQxd

• heating cores https://amzn.to/3B34kpk

• insulated baking strips https://amzn.to/3Jcp3K8

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3r9wNGK (use the good stuff)

• pure almond extract https://amzn.to/3GxUPQg

• pure lemon extract https://amzn.to/3orKT4z

• baker’s joy baking spray https://amzn.to/3Lh7LgV

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Perfect Party Pound Cake

Makes one tall single-layer 9x13-inch cake

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3 cups granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons pure almond extract

• 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract

• 7 large eggs

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Prepare 9x13x2-inch cake pan with Baker's Joy baking spray and wrap pan with insulated baking strips that have been moistened with water (this will prevent your cake from forming a hump).

3. In a heavy duty stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Add vanilla, almond, and lemon extracts; beat just until combined.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until no traces of egg remain.

6. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; add to batter in mixing bowl, beating until no traces of dry flour remain.

7. Add sour cream and mix until combined.

8. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 45-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean.

9. Remove cake pan from oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before turning the cake out of pan.

10. Allow cake to cool completely on rack before frosting

Note

• In the photo shown, I topped my cake with this ganache and this vanilla Italian meringue buttercream.