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Winter Salads

As seen in The Seasonal Chef. Column 49, December 12, 2013. BABY RED AND GREEN ROMAINE, SPINACH, ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, RED ONION, AND GRAPE TOMATO SALAD, FRISEE, APPLE, CRANBERRY, AND PISTACHIO SALAD, ROMAINE & PEAR SALAD. Winter salads need not be dull or ordinary. The Christmas color combination of red and green romaine lettuce with cauliflower and tomato makes this salad an ideal first course. This classic oil and vinegar dressing allows the clean unadulterated flavors of the vegetables to whet your appetite before eating a main course of goose or roast beef with all the trimmings for a holiday dinner.

As seen in The Seasonal Chef. Column 49, December 12, 2013

Winter salads need not be dull or ordinary. The Christmas color combination of red and green romaine lettuce with cauliflower and tomato makes this salad an ideal first course. This classic oil and vinegar dressing allows the clean unadulterated flavors of the vegetables to whet your appetite before eating a main course of goose or roast beef with all the trimmings for a holiday dinner.

Frisee, apple, and pistachio salad is the perfect salad to serve after a main course. Add an assortment of goat, triple cream Brie, and aged Gouda cheeses and pour a glass of vintage port instead of dessert!

If you are having a buffet holiday dinner, this recipe of romaine lettuce with pears, oranges, cherries and cashews with lemon poppy-seed dressing is just the right salad. Bon appétit!

serves two

BABY RED AND GREEN ROMAINE, SPINACH, ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, RED ONION, AND GRAPE TOMATO SALAD

Serves four to six

  • About 1/2 a head of cauliflower, trimmed and washed
  • Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Smoked paprika for sprinkling
  • 4 cups baby red and green romaine lettuce, washed and spun dry
  • 1 cup baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry
  • 1 small red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
  • 12 to 16 grape tomatoes, washed and halved
  • 8 to 12 oil cured pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
  • For the dressing:
  • About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

To prepare:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and parchment paper, drizzle oil on the paper. Meanwhile, separate the cauliflower into large “clusters.” With a sharp knife make a vertical cut from the top through the florets into quarter-inch slices (they look like trees.) Place slices on the baking sheet and roll in the oil (drizzle more oil if necessary.) Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. Bake until tender to the point of a knife and lightly browned on the edges, about ten to twelve minutes, turning the cauliflower over once after eight minutes. (Can be done ahead and refrigerated.)

Just before serving, arrange lettuce and spinach on a large platter or individual salad plates. Scatter onions on the lettuce, place cauliflower slices down the center of the greens, tuck cherry tomatoes and black olives decoratively on and around the cauliflower.

Whisk balsamic vinegar together with oil, taste and adjust the proportions and drizzle just enough over the salad to lightly coat the lettuce. Serve at once.
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FRISEE, APPLE, CRANBERRY, AND PISTACHIO SALAD

Serves six

  • 2 heads Frisee, washed and spun dry
  • 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 large Pink Lady or Gala (or crisp red-skinned) apples, halved, cored and thinly sliced
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup shelled, salted and roasted pistachios
  • For the dressing:
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • About 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • About 1/4 cup good quality pistachio oil or more if needed

To prepare:

Tear Frisee into bite-sized pieces and place in a large salad bowl. Add scallions and mix well.
Roll apple slices in lemon juice immediately after cutting to prevent discoloration. Remove apples from the lemon juice, reserve the lemon juice for dressing and add apples to the salad. Add cranberries to the salad and toss to blend.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk mustard into the reserved lemon juice (plus another tablespoon) season with salt and pepper, and stir in maple syrup. Slowly whisk oils into the dressing until an emulsion is formed. Taste and adjust the sweetness.

Just before serving, drizzle just enough dressing over the salad and toss well. Sprinkle pistachios on top and serve at once.
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ROMAINE, PEAR, DRIED CHERRIES, GRUYERE AND CASHEW SALAD

Serves six

For the dressing:

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon toasted poppy seeds (toast seeds in a DRY skillet until aromatic)

For the salad:

  • 3 ripe, firm red Bartlett pears, washed, halved and cored
  • Juice of one lemon for rolling
  • 3 navel oranges, peeled and cut into sections
  • 1 large head romaine lettuce, washed, spun dry and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • About 1 cup (4 to 5 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1/2 to 1 cup dried Montmorency cherries
  • 1 cup roasted salted cashews (or unsalted if desired)

To prepare:

Make the dressing: working in a blender, add sugar, lemon juice, and shallot and blend until coarsely chopped. Add mustard and small amount of salt and pepper and blend. With the machine running, slowly add the oil through the feeding tube and blend until smooth. Add poppy seeds and blend a few seconds until well mixed. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate until about one hour before making the salad.

Cut pears into thin lengthwise slices (with skin on) and immediately roll them in lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Transfer pears and orange sections to a small bowl and drizzle about two tablespoon of dressing over the fruit.
Just before serving, cut romaine into bite sized pieces and place in a salad bowl. Toss Gruyere with the lettuce; add pears, oranges, and cherries and just enough salad dressing to lightly coat the greens. Scatter cashews on top, toss, and serve at once.
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