Catch Up 12-22-10

The number 1 New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight, whether it is true or not consumers equate salads with healthier eating.  Often we get drug into the sameness of salads and forget about all the little things we can do to make a salad a great experience.  In the winter we forget to quickly how many great ingredients we can still use to make stunning salads.  Let’s take a quick look at a few different salads and dressings that you might be able to use to make some stunning salads for the New Year.  Play around with these salads to find what works in best for you.  Try not to bring in an extra item for one salad, if you don’t currently use blood oranges, then substitute regular oranges.  A big part of controlling cost is cross utilizing what you have, and getting the most out of every dollar spent.

Citrus Salad

This salad is refreshing year round, but with navel oranges and clementines hitting the peak in December this salad is especially good.  The meringue pecans are good enough to make a meal out of alone, so be sure you make extras.  This is a really basic salad that you can easily add to with what you have in stock, long on red onions throw them in, long on cucumber, that works too.     

·         3 cups fresh lolla rossa lettuce

·         1/2 cup fresh orange sections

·         1/2 cup fresh grapefruit sections

·         Seeds from one pomegranate

·         Parmessan shards

·         1/3 cup Meringue pecans

Meringue Pecans

• 2 egg whites at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 11/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/3 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 pound pecan
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Add salt and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. In a separate bowl, pour vanilla extract over brown sugar and cinnamon. Then add sugar mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, to egg white mixture, beating on high speed to form a strong, shiny meringue (about 10 minutes). Remove bowl from mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in pecan halves until well coated.
Meanwhile, melt butter on a baking sheet in the oven (3 to 5 minutes). Be careful not to let butter brown. Gently tip baking sheet so that butter coats bottom of pan.
Using a rubber spatula, spread nuts over butter, without stirring, to form an even layer without deflating meringue.
Bake nuts for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and stir nuts with a spatula so that nuts at center of pan move to outer rim and those at edges move closer to center. Bake nuts for 15 minutes longer and stir again. Continue baking another 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until nuts are separated, have absorbed butter, and are beautifully browned but not dark brown.
Immediately turn nuts out on a counter lined with a long sheet of aluminum foil. Spread them on foil and allow cooling completely. Store in a tightly covered container, the nuts will keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup champagne or champagne vinegar

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
2/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Place all ingredients, except the oil, in the bowl of a food processor.  While the processor is running slowly add the oil. 

Spinach salad

In the summer you see a version of this salad all over the place.  Here we take the dried strawberries to substitute for fresh, you could also use other dried fruits, craisins, cherries, blueberries, etc… I included a white balsamic vinaigrette recipe; you can use dark balsamic if that is what you have on hand.  If you would like to add some bacon it would be a great addition to the salad. 

3 cups Fresh Baby Spinach

½ cup Dried Strawberries

Balsamic Vinaigrette-recipe follows

1/3 cup Sliced Smoked Almonds

½ cup Red onion Rings-Personally I like to thinly slice them and fry them very quickly tossed in equal parts corn starch and flour.

Fried goat cheese-Recipe Follows

Fried Goat Cheese

• 6 oz package goat cheese
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1cup panko bread crumbs-seasoned with salt and pepper
• vegetable oil-for frying
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice the goat cheese into ½ inch coins and place in the freezer, while you prepare remaining ingredients.  Keeping the cheese as cold as possible will be what determines if you fry cheese or make a cheesy mess in the bottom of your fryer.
2. Heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a pan, to about 325°.
3. Roll frozen goat cheese coins in the flour, then egg, and finally breadcrumbs.
4. Fry in oil until golden brown, remove to a paper towel lined plate and re-season.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

·         1/2  cup  olive oil

·         1/4  cup  white balsamic vinegar

·         1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

·         tablespoon  honey

·         teaspoons lemon juice

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl or in a food processor.

Asparagus salad with Orange Fennel Vinaigrette

I have been making some version of this salad for more than five years; I change around some ingredients just about every time I make it.  If you don’t want to take the time to grill the asparagus it works just fine with blanched, just be sure not to overcook the asparagus.

·         ½ bunch Asparagus blanched, lightly grilled

·         1 Fried egg

·         ½ cup Homemade Croutons

·         1/3 cup cerignola olives

·         1 ounce Serrano or prosciutto ham-thinly sliced

·         ½ each blood orange section

·         Small bunch watercress

·         Orange and Fennel Vinaigrette-Recipe Follows

To plate the salad, lay the asparagus in the middle of serving platter, top with the fried egg, (you could top this part with a béarnaise sauce then complete the remainder of the salad.  Drizzle the asparagus with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place slices of Serrano, olives, and croutons around the plate.  Drizzle vinaigrette over the whole thing garnish with some blood orange sections.  Toss the watercress in a bowl with a small amount of the vinaigrette and place on top, serve.

Orange and Fennel Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons (packed) grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh fennel frond
• 2 teaspoons toasted fennel seeds
  
  Whisk orange juice, shallots, parsley, orange peel, dijon, and honey in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil, then fennel fronds

Iceberg Salad

This salad allows you to take a summer flavor and concentrate the flavor down so you get the intensity generally you can only find in the summer months.  A nice riff from the classic wedge salad this salad has more intense flavors, while still being well balanced. 

·         Oven roasted tomatoes-Recipe Follows

·         Bacon Lardons

·         Blue Cheese Ranch Dressing-Recipe Follows

·         Iceberg lettuce

·         Croutons

·         Extra Virgin Olive oil

·         Reduced Balsamic vinegar

·         Salt and pepper 

Wash and cut the lettuce in thirds, removing the core as you go.  Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.  To plate, place the lettuce on a serving platter and sprinkle the tomatoes and croutons around, then place the lardons on top of the lettuce.  Ladle a small amount of the dressing over the lettuce.  Re-season with salt and pepper.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Cherry, grape or small Roma tomatoes
Whole gloves of garlic, unpeeled
Olive oil
Thyme

Preheat oven to 225°F. Halve each cherry or grape tomato crosswise, or Roma tomato lengthwise and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet along with the cloves of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten. Sprinkle herbs on, salt and pepper, though go easily on these because the finished product will be so flavorful you’ll need very little to help it along.

Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about three hours. You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside–this could take more or less time depending on the size of your tomatoes.

Either use them right away or let them cool, cover them with some extra olive oil and keep them in the fridge, for up to two months if they are completely covered in oil.

Blue Cheese Ranch Dressing

·         1 cup mayo

·         1 cup crumbled blue cheese

·         ½ cup yogurt

·         ½ cup sour cream

·         ¼ cup buttermilk

·         1 tspn sherry vinegar

·         ½ tspn onion powder

·         1 tspn garlic powder

·         1 tspn fresh chopped dill frond

·         2 tspn fresh chopped chives

·         1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.