Creations, l’arte de salade and Frico
The Art of making a great salad is simple, fresh ingredients. My favorite formula is to use very crisp lettuce of your choice, 1 fruit or vegetable, 1 cheese, 1 nut. Add in chopped onion, celery, peppers or anything else you have on hand and want to include. Toss lightly with a vinaigrette so the dressing doesn’t overwhelm the flavors of the special ingredients. I also learned this trick from my Mom, if you mix a little creamy dressing and a little vinaigrette when tossing your salad the flavors of both dressings will improve [the vinaigrette cuts the heaviness of the creamy dressing]. Also a squirt of fresh lemon and dusting of parsley or any herbs on hand will spark the freshness.
These are the ingredients for this salad:
These are some of my favorite Combos:
APPLE, PECAN & CHEDDAR
PEAR, WALNUT & BLEU CHEESE
STRAWBERRY, FETA & ALMOND
PEACH and/or PLUM & PINE NUT with GOUDA
BLEU CHEESE CROUTON CAESAR
CASHEW. CUCUMBER & SESAME NOODLE
Other favorite add-ins: for a printable version click here
CHEESE CROUTONS
Cube good french, italian or sourdough bread and brush with OO. Saute in skillet til crispy. Spread on baking sheet and top with fresh Parm, Bleu, or Gruyere. Bake at 300 for 5 min or just until cheese melts into the bread. Store in tin at room temp
GARLIC CROUTONS
1 slice bread per serving
1 T butter for each slice
1 garlic clove for every 2 slices
OO
Remove crusts and cube bread. Melt butter with OO in heavy skillet and saute garlic for several minutes and then remove. Add bread cubes and saute over medium heat, watching carefully so bread doesn’t burn, adding more butter or OO if necessary. Cook in batches for best results.
FRICO
Frico
Ingredients
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh rosemary, parsley, or basil, chopped optional
Instructions
- Place 1 heaping T of grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese on a silpat, parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet
- and bake at 400 for 3-5 minutes until cheese has melted and begun to crisp. Add chopped herbs to grated cheese if desired before baking
Freshly sauteed vegetables:
corn cut off the cob, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potatoes
You’re the artist! Get Creative!
Be sure to serve your Masterpiece in a special bowl
Shop over at JMdesignsGallery.com
tip:
to keep nuts as fresh as possible, transfer them to jars or tupperware containers and store in your freezer if possible. They can become stale and rancid at room temperature, but will stay fresh indefinitely in your freezer.
Just remove what you need and return the rest to the freezer. Keep everything organized, labeled and dated in the freezer and it will be easy to take inventory when making your shopping list.
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I’ve just discovered The Painted Apron and I love it! It’s fun to get ideas and helpful to get the tips! And photos are the best! I hope you’re enjoying it…because I am!
I’m a new blogger follower and I can’t tell you how much I LOVE all you do. Your HUGE recipe file is simply fantastic. I can’t wait to spend lots of time perusing and checking your latest posts.
Here is a real beginners question…..how do you prep your salad greens to be so crispy and beautiful? Can they be prepped ahead of time and still be ready to make one of your gorgeous salads?
Aren’t you sweet Lexy! I really appreciate it! I wash my lettuce and wrap it in a kitchen towel and keep it in the crisper. It will stay fresh and crisp for several days, and it’s handy to grab whenever you need it~thanks so much for following and commenting!