Wild about Salads"In the past few years no other menu category has had so many new and innovative changes as the salad course. People are eating lighter and more wisely, and a salad combining large amounts of vegetables with small amounts of protein presents a healthier meal than a hamburger and French fries. Today's leafy salads are a collection of greens : tart arugula, bitter raddichio, satiny endive, assertive spinach, peppery watercress, baby lettuces, nutty mâche. Truly inventive salad makers add a splash of vibrant color with an edible flower garnish of nasturtium or pansies. Perhaps the biggest innovations are the warm / cold salads -- combinations of warm seafood, poultry or meat atop dressed chilled greens or pasta, a contrast of temperature, texture and tastes. Cold pasta is no longer limited to macaroni salad ; mayonnaise and showy fruit salads are bright and cheerful. The art of salad making should spark the imagination. The salad should be as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. A humdrum salad, like a wedge of iceberg lettuce covered with bottled orange dressing, does nothing for the appetite -- but the same iceberg lettuce, anointed with fruity olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar and decorated with an array of fresh vegetables, can be a collage of colors and taste. Presentation is important. The classic salad bowl is wood, but a glass dish allows more visibility, especially for tossed salads. An alternative is the composed salad, what the French call salad composée : attractive ingredients formally arranged on a platter or on individual dishes. When I think of making a salad, I like to have a surprise in every bite, so don't be afraid to experiment with ingredients."-- |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 5 |
Above and beyond macaroni salad | 19 |
RICE BEAN GRAIN AND BREAD SALADS | 25 |
FRUIT SALADS | 41 |
Copyright | |