There are two types of salad: tossed and composed. A tossed salad is simply one where all of the ingredients are mixed together and tossed with dressing before serving. A composed salad is one where the ingredients are presented separately, but on the same plate. It can be visually more appealing and, I think, the presentation gives the meal a little more heft. Of course, the ingredients must be prepared to perfection and given all the love they deserve.
The most well-known composed salads are the Cobb and the Salad Nicoise. The Cobb salad was invented by the owner of the famous, now closed, Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles. I don’t know who first made the Nicoise, but Julia Child certainly brought it to the attention of Americans with her PBS television show and in two of her cookbooks, “The Way to Cook” and “The French Chef Cookbook.”
Julia is the one who declared it OK to use canned tuna for this recipe; it was actually her preference. I will say that I think what she had in mind is not the bland water-packed tuna on most grocery shelves, but an imported tuna packed in oil. If you ever see the Ortiz brand, try it. It is definitely more costly than Bumble Bee, but you’ll love the flavor.
Preparing any of these salads will give you excellent practice in a number of cooking skills. Among them are blanching — Julia says to blanch the green beans for Nicosia in a very large pot of water, then cool in an ice bath; proper cooking of hard-boiled eggs — you do not want the greenish tinge around the edge which says your eggs cooked too long; how to julienne — cutting ingredients into sticks; and how to make a vinaigrette. These salads can take some time, but the outcome is something to be proud of when your guests ooh and aah at the presentation.
As with all recipes I share, these are definitely ones to make your own. Read the recipe and understand the concept. Perhaps make it once per the directions and then let go with your own take.
JULIA CHILD’S SALADE NICOISE
Serves 4-6
1 head of Boston lettuce, washed and dried
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed, blanched
3 or 4 ripe red tomatoes, quartered and seasoned before serving
8-10 ounces oil-packed tuna, drained and flaked
2 cups French potato salad (recipe follows)
4 hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise
2-3 flat anchovy filets packed in oil
1/2 cup black Nicoise-type olives
3-4 tablespoons capers
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the vinaigrette:
1-2 tablespoons excellent wine vinegar, or a combination of vinegar and lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
6- 8 tablespoons best-quality olive oil, salad oil or a combination of both
Big pinch of freshly ground pepper
For French potato salad:
5-6 white potatoes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Flat leaf parsley, chopped
COBB SALAD
Serves 4-6
For the dressing:
3⁄4 cup canola oil
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3⁄4 teaspoon dry mustard
1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1⁄4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
1⁄2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
1⁄2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1⁄2 bunch watercress, some of the stems trimmed, chopped
2 ounces blue cheese, preferably Roquefort, crumbled
6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons minced chives
(Source: saveur.com)
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