House Salad & Balsamic Fig Dressing

House Salad with Balsamic Fig Dressing - Made with greens, berries, praline pecans, shaved parmesan, and the best fig vinaigrette you will ever taste.

“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.” – Nora Roberts

There used to be the time when I was so shy I would never dare to ask a stranger for a recipe I wanted to try. Slowly I built up my nerve, learned to be brave and ask for what I wanted. I figured I had nothing to lose even if they said no.

Since then, when I go out to eat and have something amazing, I go ahead and ask if they wouldn't mind sharing the recipe with me. Most of the time I get a simple response: no. Or I get vague instructions on how to make it and it's up to me to figure out the exact ingredients and quantities. And while I love to play with recipes and come up with a similar version, there is something  exciting about knowing you have the exact recipe from that special place.

About a month ago, my husband and I visited Switch Restaurant in Phoenix.  It's one of our favorite restaurants and we hadn't been there in a while. Paul ordered the Valley Verde Pork and I ordered the Switch House Salad. As usual, the food was amazing and I fell in love with what I ordered. I figured I could make it at home IF I only had the recipe for the mouth watering salad dressing.

So I asked our waitress if there was a way they could give me the recipe with me. I told her I had a food blog and would love to share it.  When she came back she mentioned the Chef was very busy and she couldn't find the opportunity to ask him. Oh well..... I expected that answer anyway.

To our surprise, a few minutes later, Chef Jason Peterson came to our table to personally share the recipe with me! How cool is that! I really feel honored that he took the time from his busy night to visit our table and personally hand me the recipe.

The recipe he gave me was written for restaurant quantities.  As soon as Paul and I got home we started doing the math to convert it for a household. I couldn't wait to make it so the next day I gave it a try (while the taste was still fresh in my memory 😉 ). I'm happy to announce that it came out exactly like theirs! Without further ado, I would like to share the recipe with you.

(P.S. This is not a sponsored post from Switch. I just like to share good things to eat especially when I've had such a positive experience and story to share . Carry on my friends 🙂 )

House Salad & Balsamic Fig Dressing

Author: Ana Frias

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 1/4 cup red onion chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup fig spread
• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• FOR THE SALAD
• Use your favorite greens Arugula, Romaine, etc
• Berries
• Shaved Parmesan
• Praline walnuts chopped

Instructions

• Dressing:
• In a food processor, add all ingredients except the olive oil. Blend until smooth.
• Transfer the dressing to a medium bowl.
• Add the olive oil slowly while whisking the dressing to emulsify.
• Assemble the salad and serve with the balsamic fig dressing.
• Store the dressing in a sealed container for up to a week.
• Makes 16 oz.