The best salads I've had in my life were at Le Bec Fin in Philly & Mustard's in California. It's all about properly preparing the tender, fresh salad greens & 'old school' French vinaigrette.
Spring Salad
Spring is my favorite time to garden… after a long winter, it’s amazing to see rhubarb, asparagus, chives, parsley, pea shoots, ramps, mint & other plants literally pop out of the frozen ground. I love how tender & delicious fruits and vegetables are when fresh!
I grow a variety of lettuces in my garden, under cloches to protect the tender leaves from freezing so in the Spring there is a nice variety. There is also dandelion and purslane once Spring arrives.
I always have a good harvest of salad greens from the greenhouse from November until the Spring. I pick a variety of Spring lettuces to create different textures, flavors & color.
One of my favorite dressings is a simple, emulsified vinaigrette with honey, olive oil, mustard, lemon & herbs... these days I use a little mayonnaise instead of raw egg yolk for the emulsion.
Prep Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 0 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients Dressing
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Honey
1/2 Tbsp Grain Mustard
6 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice or Cider Vinegar
t.t. Kosher Salt
t.t. Black Pepper, freshly ground
Salad greens such as arugula, bibb, red leaf, oak etc... rinsed and spun dry
t.t. Kosher Salt
t.t. Black Pepper, freshly ground
How to Prepare the Salad
Step 1
Put the mayonnaise, honey and mustard in a bowl, slowly whisk the oil into the honey- mustard, creating an emulsion. Add the lemon and seasonings while continuing to whisk.
Step 2
Clean the lettuces, rinse/spin dry and place the lettuces and salad ingredients into a bowl, season with salt and pepper, add to the dressing and toss.
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