FRUITY SPINACH SALAD WITH RASPBERRY POPPYSEED DRESSING WITH GRILLED SEAFOOD AND WARM CAMBOZOLA CHEESE

               FRUITY SPINACH SALAD WITH  RASPBERRY POPPYSEED DRESSING
                                                                  WITH
                GRILLED SEAFOOD AND WARM CAMBOZOLA CHEESE

In the early eighties, fruit flavored vinegars were just beginning to show themselves to the Foody
World. They were hard to find and quite expensive to buy. I was in the process of opening my retail
catering shop when I realized I could make my own vinegars to sell . It was early summer and I began to stock pile fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and any other fresh fruit I could get my hands on ! A month before I opened my doors to the public, I had huge plastic tubs of mashed fruits and white vinegar fermenting in the back of the building. When the time came, I boiled them and strained them into sterilized bottles. They were stunning ! All the different jewel colored bottles, lined up and labelled with my own silver and burgundy labels! There must have been two hundred of them. They were definitely a focal point of my grand opening ! I was very excited about this product ! Apparently, I was the only one ! Although customers  found them very enticing and trendy, very few actually bought them. That is, with the exception of the raspberry vinegar which was the key ingredient in our popular Raspberry Poppyseed Dressing we served over our Fruity Spinach Salad. Customers couldn't get enough of that. The rest of my beautiful, jewelled bottles became dust collectors, faded versions of their glorious selves and I ended up dumping them out ! The world was not quite ready for them !
Eventually, years later. I came to realize if I just used fresh raspberries and white vinegar for my dressing, it was every bit as good if not better than the original . Go figure ! So today I bring you my original Fruity Spinach Salad with a couple of added attractions, hot grilled seafood and warm , runny Cambozola Cheese. Cambozola Cheese is a combination of a creamy Camembert and Gorgonzola so has a definite Bleu cheese flavor. If this disrupts the tones a bit for you try substituting a mild Brie. Either way, this decadent salad is a summer evening must have, especially with raspberry season upon us !!

                FRUITY SPINACH SALAD WITH RASPBERRY POPPYSEED DRESSING
                                                                WITH
                            GRILLED SEAFOOD AND WARM CAMBOZOLA CHEESE

DRESSING  : 1 cup fresh raspberries
                        4 Tbsp vinegar
                        1 Tbsp minced purple onion
                        4 Tbsp maple syrup
                        1 Tbsp poppy seeds
                        1/2 cup olive oil
                        4 oz Cambozola Cheese heated in microwave until slightly melted and runny.
                        Scallops, fresh salmon and jumbo prawns, tossed in olive oil and grilled or sauteed.
                        (about 2-3 pieces of each per serving)

METHOD;      Mix all ingredients except oil in blender or food processor for one minute.
                        Slowly add oil and blend until thick and creamy.
                        Arrange spinach on plates. top with fresh kiwi, mandarin oranges and fresh
                        raspberries. Arrange grilled or sauteed seafood
                        on top of salad while still hot. Drizzle with dressing and spoon softened cheese
                        on top. Top with fresh cracked pepper.