I finally plunked down $12 for a bottle of toasted walnut oil. IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY!! This warm, toasty, nutty liquid has turned my everyday salad into a veritable gourmet flavor sensation.

It’s also the secret to a very special salad I’ve been eating often, which I copied from a restaurant near my apt, Fraiche. It’s our new favorite place for Friday cocktails and nosh, a habit which is enjoyable but may bankrupt me. The recipe follows, and let me tell you, it’s the walnut oil that makes it. I’ve tried it with olive oil before: bland, bland, bland.

Beet, Ricotta, and Arugula Salad
2 boiled baby beets
1/4 cup ricotta
2 cups arugula/mixed greens
2 tsp walnut oil
1-2 tsp vinegar (your choice)
salt & pepper

Toss the greens with 1 tsp walnut oil and 1 tsp vinegar.
Top with sliced beets and ricotta, distributing the ricotta as best you can.
Drizzle remaining walnut oil on top.
Dust with salt and pepper.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: You may want to try some different brands/styles of Ricotta. I’d been using Lucerne part skim, but yesterday I got some Trader Joes Traditional and I don’t like it nearly as much - it has a much firmer, flakier texture. The Lucerne is nice and creamy and smooth, and works better in the salad. But a chacun son gout, so shop around and see what you like best! Has anyone tried fat free ricotta? So far I’ve been afraid of it.