A salad to satisfy
I have not found a salad--composed entirely of vegetables, that is--as satisfying as a meal as this one from Balthazar's in New York City. (It is the one salad I can serve to Dale as dinner without having him demand a slab of meat as the main course.) A friend had mentioned it once or twice on trips to the Big Apple, but I never tried it myself until I somehow came across it on the Orangette blog. Created as the house salad out of ingredients spelling the restaurant's name, it has a wonderful collection of tastes and textures, all held together by the amazing Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette. The smell of truffles is intoxicating, and if the unwashed dishes sit in your dishwasher all night, then you will be greeted in the morning by a rush of truffle air courtesy of Whirlpool. Perhaps it is not as marketable as truffle oil, truffle butter, or truffle rice, but then again there wasn't a market for balsamic vinegar 30 years ago, either.
I knew that this had to be the salad for Mother's Day, when the entire family would be here. I ignored the fact that beets are the one vegetable that my own mom dislikes, knowing that even she would be won over by this salad, and she was--at least in that way that moms like anything you do. Maybe next year I'll try beets and veal sweetbreads...
On vegetables: This is a great opportunity to use your mandoline as the fennel and radishes should be as thin as possible. The original recipe calls for the asparagus to be boiled for 8 minutes, but green vegetables should never be boiled this long as they will lose both color and nutrients. The maximum time is 7 minutes, according to Shirley Corriher's Cookwise. You also never want the water to stop boiling as the vegetables get damaged in the heat, but don't cook properly. The larger quantity of water keeps the heat, but it also allows the acids in the vegetables to become diluted and to escape in the steam; these acids are what cause the vegetables to lose their brilliant green color, which is why the pot should not be covered. So in the adaption below, they are peeled and cut into into three inch pieces. For recipes like this, I prefer the thicker asparagus as it is easier to peel, and is no less tender--just be sure the tips are closed or tight. The cookbook calls for a roasted beet, but a raw beet can be used without too much loss. (To roast: rub olive oil on the beet, place a sprig of thyme next to it, wrap in foil, and bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Remove the skin, and cut accordingly.)
Balthazar Salad Adapted from The Balthazar Cookbook
Serves 6
1/2 lb asparagus spears, peeled and trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces on the bias (diagonally)
1/4 lb haricots verts or green beans, trimmed
1 lemon (juice and peel are needed)
1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced--think translucent
1/4 lb red radishes, very thinly sliced
1 head of Romaine lettuce, washed and torn
1 head of Frisée, washed and torn
1/2 head of Radicchio, washed and torn
1/4 lb of Mache, washed and torn
1/4 cup Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette
1/4 lb ricotta salata,
1 beet
1 avocado, Hass preferred
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 slices of brioche, toasted and ground into crumbs
Fill a stockpot with water and add salt. The water should should taste like the sea. Bring it toa boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath by filling a medium bowl with ice cubes and covering with cold water. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender or al dente, roughly 3-4 minutes. Remove the spears with a spider or skimmer or slotted spoon to the ice water. Remove as soon as the asparagus is cold. It should not stay in the water any longer than it has taken to cool in order to prevent nutrient loss. Meanwhile, add the beans to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender or al dente, roughly 3-4 minutes. Remove the beans to the ice water, removing as soon as the asparagus is cold. If you are blanching the lemon peel, blanch it in the boiling water by letting it boil one minute and then removing the zest to the ice bath. Mince the zest when cool.
Slice the ricotta salata into six slices or julienne (1/8"x1/8"x/2" aka “matchsticks”). Julienne the beet as well. Halve and peel the avocado, and slice thinly. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning.
You can either assemble the salad individually as I did, layering the vegetables in a handsome composition and then drizzling with vinaigrette. Or add the asparagus and beans, mix, and add the lettuces, salt and pepper and vinaigrette. Divide equally on 6 plates, and add a slice of ricotta or ricotta matchsticks. Place beet sticks and 2 slices of avocado on each plate, and sprinkle with bread crumbs (which I always forget, if I even bought the brioche).
Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette Adapted from The Balthazar Cookbook
Servings: Makes 1 cup
2 lemons, juiced (1/4 cup, see below)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white truffle oil
Pop the lemon into the microwave for 10 seconds, and roll the lemon hard against a countertop with your plam. Cut the lemon in half and juice both sides into a small stainless steel or glass bowl, straining the seeds. Add salt and pepper. Emulisify the dressing by slowly adding the oils in a steady stream, whisking constantly and vigorously. Store remaining dressing in a tightly sealed glass jar in the refrigerator, where it will last a week.
I knew that this had to be the salad for Mother's Day, when the entire family would be here. I ignored the fact that beets are the one vegetable that my own mom dislikes, knowing that even she would be won over by this salad, and she was--at least in that way that moms like anything you do. Maybe next year I'll try beets and veal sweetbreads...
On vegetables: This is a great opportunity to use your mandoline as the fennel and radishes should be as thin as possible. The original recipe calls for the asparagus to be boiled for 8 minutes, but green vegetables should never be boiled this long as they will lose both color and nutrients. The maximum time is 7 minutes, according to Shirley Corriher's Cookwise. You also never want the water to stop boiling as the vegetables get damaged in the heat, but don't cook properly. The larger quantity of water keeps the heat, but it also allows the acids in the vegetables to become diluted and to escape in the steam; these acids are what cause the vegetables to lose their brilliant green color, which is why the pot should not be covered. So in the adaption below, they are peeled and cut into into three inch pieces. For recipes like this, I prefer the thicker asparagus as it is easier to peel, and is no less tender--just be sure the tips are closed or tight. The cookbook calls for a roasted beet, but a raw beet can be used without too much loss. (To roast: rub olive oil on the beet, place a sprig of thyme next to it, wrap in foil, and bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Remove the skin, and cut accordingly.)
Balthazar Salad Adapted from The Balthazar Cookbook
Serves 6
1/2 lb asparagus spears, peeled and trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces on the bias (diagonally)
1/4 lb haricots verts or green beans, trimmed
1 lemon (juice and peel are needed)
1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced--think translucent
1/4 lb red radishes, very thinly sliced
1 head of Romaine lettuce, washed and torn
1 head of Frisée, washed and torn
1/2 head of Radicchio, washed and torn
1/4 lb of Mache, washed and torn
1/4 cup Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette
1/4 lb ricotta salata,
1 beet
1 avocado, Hass preferred
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 slices of brioche, toasted and ground into crumbs
Fill a stockpot with water and add salt. The water should should taste like the sea. Bring it toa boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath by filling a medium bowl with ice cubes and covering with cold water. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender or al dente, roughly 3-4 minutes. Remove the spears with a spider or skimmer or slotted spoon to the ice water. Remove as soon as the asparagus is cold. It should not stay in the water any longer than it has taken to cool in order to prevent nutrient loss. Meanwhile, add the beans to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender or al dente, roughly 3-4 minutes. Remove the beans to the ice water, removing as soon as the asparagus is cold. If you are blanching the lemon peel, blanch it in the boiling water by letting it boil one minute and then removing the zest to the ice bath. Mince the zest when cool.
Slice the ricotta salata into six slices or julienne (1/8"x1/8"x/2" aka “matchsticks”). Julienne the beet as well. Halve and peel the avocado, and slice thinly. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning.
You can either assemble the salad individually as I did, layering the vegetables in a handsome composition and then drizzling with vinaigrette. Or add the asparagus and beans, mix, and add the lettuces, salt and pepper and vinaigrette. Divide equally on 6 plates, and add a slice of ricotta or ricotta matchsticks. Place beet sticks and 2 slices of avocado on each plate, and sprinkle with bread crumbs (which I always forget, if I even bought the brioche).
Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette Adapted from The Balthazar Cookbook
Servings: Makes 1 cup
2 lemons, juiced (1/4 cup, see below)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white truffle oil
Pop the lemon into the microwave for 10 seconds, and roll the lemon hard against a countertop with your plam. Cut the lemon in half and juice both sides into a small stainless steel or glass bowl, straining the seeds. Add salt and pepper. Emulisify the dressing by slowly adding the oils in a steady stream, whisking constantly and vigorously. Store remaining dressing in a tightly sealed glass jar in the refrigerator, where it will last a week.
posted by jaka at 7:44 PM
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