Maple Butter Is The Sweet Addition Your Boring Old Salad Deserves

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Every boring, overlooked salad out there is always just a dressing away from turning into that tantalizing side dish of your dreams. A drizzle here and there, and that plain bowl of green is a different thing entirely. Oftentimes, it takes on the tangy depth of a classic vinaigrette or adorns mayonnaise's silky creaminess. On rarer occasions, when you want to step out of the box and still stay in the comfort zone, there's maple butter to try. Add this spectacular condiment to the mix, and your salad will be everything you never thought it could be: Complex, decadent, and infinitely exciting.

Maple butter is exactly what you think it is — softened butter mixed with maple syrup and usually a few other seasonings of choice. You will most likely also find hints of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon laced into it, their subtle warmth woven right into that sweet richness. You can either make your own using butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and your favorite fall spices, or buy a jar of maple butter online made from pure syrup. As a dressing component, a small spoonful gives you that classic buttery scent, ever so creamy and comforting. It sets the perfect stage for the maple syrup's woodsy, sweet caramel-like nuance to shine, beautifully complementing just about any flavor profile. The maple butter dressing coats every leafy green, every colorful veggie in its complexity, lifting the salad from merely earthy and fresh to vibrantly layered.

Judging from how many creative ways to use maple butter there are out there, it's safe to say its versatility is undisputed. You can count on it to elevate even the most ordinary salad dressings. Add a teaspoon into creamy dressings and taste the magic of flavors seamlessly intertwining. A simple concoction of dijon mustard, maple butter, lemon juice, and olive oil makes a perfect companion for almost any salad. Fall-inspired ones, from a kale and squash combination to a sweet potato panzanella salad, are particularly fitting candidates.

Whisked into a vinaigrette, the maple butter makes just as toothsome an ingredient. It throws a buttery sweet curveball into the usual acidic edge you've typically come to expect from this type of dressing. It could be any run-of-the-mill vinaigrette, centering around a red wine or apple cider vinegar. It could also be a balsamic rendition, intricately laced with that signature fruity darkness. Even better, you can keep the flavor profile cohesive by using maple-flavored balsamic. Drizzled over an apple harvest salad, it will make your simple bowl of fruit and mixed greens an unexpected stand out at Thanksgiving. Much like regular vinaigrettes, it's also splendid for roasting veggies. Gather up your favorites and let the oven warmth meld all the different flavor intricacies together, before tossing them together and laying them over a bed of greens, sprinkled with dried fruits and chopped nuts — much like Ina Garten's very own maple-roasted carrot salad.