The Art of the Salad - Spring Greens, Gorgonzola Cheese, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, w/Lemon Vinaigrette

The Art of the Salad - Spring Greens, Gorgonzola Cheese, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, w/Lemon Vinaigrette

Ever been asked to someone's house and when asked to bring something a salad is requested? Well I have a salad I make often that works for any occasion and looks beautiful. Here is my general salad lesson that has never served me wrong. Recipe is at the end.

Nothing against iceberg lettuce but when someone serves a salad with ice berg, in my opinion, it always fails. So below is a great recipe for a salad that will taste great, look great, and always gets compliments.

The Lettuce 

Iceberg lettuce is a no....only belongs on burgers and thats even debatable. Use a spring mix. Usually incorporating red leaf lettuce, some spinach, and not only tastes great but looks great!
If you are feeling adventurous arugula is a favorite of mine as well, but beware it can be an acquired taste and when cooking for others you may way to stay more neutral until you understand your guest's pallets.

What to put in a salad

Always have something sweet or tart, always have something rich (cheese), always have something with a crunch.

Sweet

I love putting fruits in my salads. If you want to go the fresh route. Strawberries, apples, pears, even raspberries. Just cut them up and through in there. Something that I always keep in the house: Dried cranberries for salads is always a hit. Has an amazing sweet and tart taste that is delicious.

Rich

When incorporating something rich I always use some kind of cheese in a salad. The easiest that always tastes great, and is readably available, is blue or gorgonzola cheese. Goat cheese or Chèvre is another great cheese and almost always melts into the salad. (RULE: Do not use a creamy dressing with Chèvre. The Chèvre will coat the salad when tossed.)  Of course when nothing else is around use grated parmesan cheese, best for Caesar salads but really will go in anything.

Crunchy

Many will think I recommend croutons or some kind of bread product but this is not the case! I like to use nuts to get my crunch. Almonds and walnuts are always a great addition to a salad. Sometimes however a nut can be too soft to really provide that crunch you intend for. To combat this I always dry roast the nuts on the stove before tossing in a salad.

Dry roasting

So easy its almost stupid. Just through the nuts in a skillet on medium heat for about 10 minutes tossing them around every once and a while untiled browned. No need for oils or butter in the pan. Nuts are filled with delicious poly and mono saturated fats that provide all the grease you need for the roast.

Allergic to Nuts? Don't like them? No problem.....you still do not need croutons. 

Try wasabi beans or roasted soy beans. They are super crunchy and will accomplish what you are looking for. Go to Whole Foods and find something crunchy that you can through in the salad.

Dressings

MAKE YOUR OWN - ITS SOOO EASY
Making your own dressing is super easy and is always a better alternative to dressings in your fridge. Choose a vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and zest, dijon mustard, large grain mustard, and whisk together. These are the best basic ingredients and will never fail. Want to make your dressing creamy? Use sour cream, a little sour cream in your home made dressing will increase its viscosity and give you the creamy taste desired.  See a detailed recipe below.

If You Need To Buy It
If you need to buy a dressing I always stick to a vinaigrette. When choosing a salad dressing however I never go to the isles. I always choose a dressing from the refrigerated section. My favorite is Cindy's kitchen basic balsamic vinaigrette. (RULE: I rarely buy a creamy dressing. Many times I believe creamy dressing cover up the tastes of the salad and contain preservatives that stabalize the milk products in the dressings and ultimately ruin the salad....stick to refrigerated vinaigrettes.)

Serving Ware

Many times I will use my large Le Cruset dutch oven to serve a salad. Although these are cast iron high temperature pots they are large, look great, and perfect for big salads. Also, buy some kind of fancy salad serving. I have a pair with wooden handles that my mother handed down to me and it makes the salad look great!

Ok enough of my salad 411....here is my salad recipe. Its simple, easy, and beautiful.

1     large container of spring mix lettuce
1     cup of dried cranberries
1     cup of gorgonzola cheese crumbles
3/4  cup of dry roasted almonds

To prepare the salad layer the ingredients in your serving dish in the following order. Lettuce, Cheese, Nuts, Cranberries. Do not toss until you dress the salad with your salad dressing.

The dressing - This is a basic flavorful dressing that never fails. Thanks to my friend Mrs. Sarah Marshall who always prepares this and is her recipe.

The zest of one lemon
The juice of two lemons
1/3   cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4   cup of white wine vinegar (Champagne vinegar if you can find it)
1      tsp of minced garlic
1/2   tsp pepper
1      tsp salt
1      tbsp dijon mustard
1      tbsp whole grain mustard

Whisk together and dress your salad to taste!

This will never fail and feel free to alter the ingredients to your liking. Sarah and I always taste before we toss and never follow an exact recipe.

I promise this salad will always look great, taste great and present well. Please please please! Don't show up to a party with iceberg lettuce. Unless you have kids iceberg is never an appropriate lettuce to use!

Correction: In speaking with my friend Chelsea, the one who turned me on to Uchiko brussel sprouts, she reminded me there is one appropriate use of iceberg lettuce that is acceptable.....THE WEDGE SALAD! But seriously folks, use iceberg sparingly and make sure you can back up your justification for this tasteless watery leaf.