Your Homemade Salad Dressing Has Been Missing One Sweet Addition

Maple syrup has long been regarded as an everyday condiment most commonly used to upgrade a variety of sweet foods such as pancakes, matcha overnight oats, and homemade candy. However, you can also use maple syrup to enhance even more foods like oven-roasted vegetables like parsnips and carrots, meat marinades, and salad dressings. Besides trying Bobby Flay's secret salad ingredient, which happens to be a nearly empty mustard jar, you may want to sweeten up your next concoction with a bit of maple syrup. Sure enough, this golden natural sweetener adds a much-welcomed brightness to a wide assortment of savory salad dressings.

Even though there are different grades of maple syrup, you can use whichever variety you most prefer to upgrade your next bottle of dressing. For a more delicate flavor, use light-colored golden or amber syrup. Conversely, if you want your salad dressing to have a more pronounced maple flavor, use dark or very dark.

To make a creamy and versatile salad dressing that can be used on any combination of fresh produce, simply combine equal amounts of mayonnaise, olive oil, and maple syrup. Then add in a few spoonfuls of mustard (Dijon or stone ground work best), your vinegar of choice, and salt and pepper. Either whisk everything together or add all the ingredients into a jar and shake well until combined.

No matter which variety of maple syrup you use for your next salad dressing, you can create several unique and flavorful combinations. If you don't want a creamy dressing, skip the mayonnaise and add a bit more vinegar. Create a lighter assortment of tangy recipes by choosing a specially-flavored vinegar such as apple cider or balsamic. While apple cider vinegar has a tart yet mild apple flavor, balsamic vinegar has a subtle smokiness with slight notes of fig and cherry.

To make a seasonal salad with your favorite fall and winter produce, use a more robust variety of maple syrup and assemble your salad accordingly. For a more fall-focused salad, use ingredients like lacinato kale, Honeycrisp apples, and toasted pecans. To hone in on that concentrated maple flavor, consider roasting your nuts in some salt and additional maple syrup before adding them to your plate of greens. In spring, mix asparagus with fresh radish, peas, and a strong cheese like feta. Summer salads beg for fresh fruit from tomato to mango to avocado, all of which pair beautifully with maple.

For a wintry salad, serve maple-roasted vegetables like carrots, turnips, or sweet potatoes over fresh greens like spinach or arugula. Dress raw veggies in a combination of olive oil, maple syrup, and select seasonings like ground mustard and ginger, and roast them in your oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you've mastered the addition of maple syrup, try something new and blend overripe fruit for a delicious and tangy salad dressing alternative.