Dried Fruit and Vegetable Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

• 1 carrot, peeled
• 1 parsnip, peeled
• 1 beet, peeled
• 1 Cortland apple, skin on, cored
• 1 pear, skin on, cored
• Juice of 1 lemon

Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons maple butter
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups mesclun
• 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 70 °C (150 °F).
2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off ribbons of the vegetables.
3. With a mandoline, thinly slice the fruit, then toss with the lemon juice (to prevent browning). Spread the vegetable ribbons and fruit slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Put in the oven for 8 to 12 hours to begin the drying process.
5. Turn the oven off and leave fruits and vegetables to dry for 8 more hours in the oven. Store between sheets of parchment paper in a dry place for 2 weeks.

Vinaigrette

1. The day you will serve the salad, prepare the vinaigrette.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple butter and vinegar.
3. Add the shallot and mustard, season with salt and pepper, then pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, while whisking.
4. Right before serving, divide the mesclun, blue cheese and dried fruits and vegetables among 6 plates and dress with the vinaigrette.