Blueberry Salad From Mike Grossman of Yum! Kitchen and Bakery in St. Louis Park, via the Star Tribune 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Olive oil for grill Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup blueberry vinaigrette (recipe below) plus extra for grilling 1 large head of romaine lettuce, shredded 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds (see note) 3/4 cup blueberries 8 to 10 strawberries, sliced 1/2 cup shredded aged gouda cheese Prepare grill. Rinse chicken breasts under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. When ready to grill, brush grill grate with olive oil. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and arrange breasts in same direction on hot grate. Grill for 2 minutes. Using tongs, rotate breasts 45 degrees and grill for 2 to 4 additional minutes. Turn breasts, brush cooked side with blueberry vinaigrette and grill, rotating breasts after two minutes. Remove breasts to a platter and cool. When ready to serve, toss lettuce with 1/2 cup vinaigrette in a large salad bowl. Arrange almonds, blueberries, strawberries, cheese, and chicken breast on lettuce, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Note: To toast almonds, spread nuts on a baking sheet and bake 3 to 4 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Blueberry Vinaigrette From chef Mike Grossman of Yum! Kitchen and Bakery in St. Louis Park. Don’t cook? Grossman sells bottles of his vinaigrette at the restaurant. 1/4 cup champagne vinegar [I used white wine vinegar] 1/4 vanilla bean 1/4 cup honey 1 cup blueberries (see note) 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 medium shallot, diced 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup olive oil 1 cup corn oil 1 Tablespoon shredded fresh mint Pour vinegar into a small saucepan over medium heat. Split vanilla bean. Scrape seeds into vinegar and add vanilla bean to vinegar. [My vanilla bean was too dry for this. I broke it into pieces and put it in the vinegar. Worked fine.] Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and reduce vinegar/vanilla mixture by half. Remove and discard bean, cool mixture and reserve. In a blender [or food processor] combine vinegar, honey, blueberries, lemon juice, shallot, salt, mustard, lemon zest, and black pepper and blend until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and corn oil. With blender on slow speed, slowly drizzle oils into blender until smooth. Stir in mint. Transfer vinaigrette to an airtight jar and refrigerate at least 2 hours before using. Vinaigrette may be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Shake before using. Note: The one cup of blueberries in the dressing plus the 3/4 cup in the salad comes to one pint, conveniently. Made by Judy S. for the July 2007 potluck, who adds: "Not recommended to be eaten in the wind, but otherwise delicious."

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