Company Salad (Tossed Salad with Fruit, Nuts and Cheese) Recipe
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: Experiment with these ingredients, to find favorite combinations. The secrets are to use a mix of greens, some strongly flavored and some neutral, and to use fresh seasonal fruit if at all possible. The dressing should be some variation of vinaigrette. I prefer a slightly sweet vinaigrette or a balsamic vinaigrette with a light bleu cheese like Gorgonzola or Roquefort, but mustard vinaigrettes and feta, for example, work with some combinations of fruit and cheese, think feta and watermelon.
The nuts can be anything you want, or even something else crunchy like sunflower seeds or toasted pumpkin seeds, you just need some crunch. It is always good to toast the nuts for 15 minutes or so in the oven. For an extra level of flavor at a dinner party, make spiced pecans or glazed walnuts to go in the salad and use the extras as cocktail appetizers.
In addition to the salads below, there are other examples of similar salads (see the Mandarin Orange and Avocado Salad) in this cookbook.
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Directions: |
Directions:First example, Pears, Pecans and Gorgonzola:
3/4 lb mixed salad greens
2/3 cup toasted pecan halves
3 slightly firm pears such as Bosc, halved, cored and thinly sliced
8 oz Gorgonzola cheese, broken into small chunks
Mix greens, nuts and fruit.
Make a vinaigrette of 3 tbsp. sherry vinegar, 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 3/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tbsp. of flavored nut oil (walnut oil) or replace with 2 tbsp. of olive oil, salt and pepper, whisk together. Toss salad with vinaigrette, sprinkle with cheese, serve immediately.
Second example, Apple, Brie and walnuts
Use apple cider vinegar, apple cider and plain vegetable oil to make the dressing. Start with 1 tbsp. of each. Can also add crumbled bacon and a little of the bacon drippings to the dressing as well. Can omit the bacon and use a little cinnamon for a different flavor. Use a sweet apple like Galas.
Third example my favorite, Baby Blue Salad
1 bag mixed greens
4-6 oz Maytag blue cheese crumbled
2 oranges peeled, seeded and quartered
1 pint of strawberries, quartered
Serve with balsamic vinairgrette and Sweet and Spicy Pecans (see appetizers)
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. honey
2 minced garlic cloves
2 minced shallots
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup olive oil.
Whisk together first 7 ingredients until mixed. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, blending well. Can store tightly covered in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. |
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Number Of
Servings:4-6 |
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Notes: After you read about this salad and start to look around, you will soon realize that every restaurant in America from McDonald's to the French Laundry has some variation of this salad on their menu. This salad must be Lesson 1 in Salads in Culinary School! Any of the variations makes a beautiful and tasty dinner party dish if the nuts, fruit and cheese are carefully chosen.
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