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Guidelines for Creating Superior Simple Salads
Appears in
By Jaclyn Pestka, Wayne Gisslen and Lou Sackett
Published 2010
- Simple salads require the best ingredients. In addition to using the freshest greens, you must also search for the best and freshest garnishes and vinaigrette ingredients. The off-flavor of a low-grade vinegar or a slightly rancid oil might be hidden in a more complex salad, but such poor ingredients are instantly noticeable in a simple salad.
- For each salad, choose greens and garnish items whose textures, flavors, and colors complement one another. Delicate micro greens added to a winter salad based on hearty chicories would be overwhelmed in both flavor and texture. Adding julienne carrots to a radicchio salad would result in an unpleasant clash of colors. Adding Asian mung bean sprouts to a Provençal mesclun mix makes no sense in terms of ethnicity.
- Match the texture and flavor of the dressing to the character of the greens. Sturdier greens can stand up to rich, thick vinaigrettes, while delicate greens need a lighter, thinner dressing. For example, Belgian endive is excellent dressed with a thick mustard mayonnaise, while tender Boston lettuce is best with a lemon vinaigrette. Mild, subtly flavored greens do well with nonvinegar acid components and thus marry well with citrus or verjus vinaigrettes.
- Combine greens, dressings, and garnishes with care and discretion. Flavors may be compounded or contrasted. To compound flavors, the vinaigrette for a salad containing nutty-flavored mâche might contain walnut oil, and the salad could be garnished with toasted walnut pieces. To contrast flavors, imagine a slightly bitter radicchio salad dressed with a sweet port-wine vinaigrette and garnished with pear slices poached in port.
- Enhance flavor with a little freshly ground pepper added at the last minute. Fine-dining restaurants maintain the custom of sending a peppermill to the table when the salad course is served. Although black pepper is traditionally served, white pepper is an interesting alternative that works well with some greens.
- Salads must be served on cool plates. Because restaurant kitchens are often warm, most operations keep salad plates chilled during service. Chilled plates acquire a film of condensation when moved to the warm air, so be careful not to leave unsightly fingerprints in the condensation on the plate rims.
- Plan your salad in the context of the meal in which it will be served. A simple or tossed salad must complement the menu’s cuisine style. If served as part of a set menu, the salad must connect the previous course to the one after it. It must not repeat the flavors or ingredients featured in the other courses. If wine is an important part of the meal, avoid a vinegar-based dressing; choose one based on mild citrus or verjus instead.
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