Crunchy Summer Salad with shallot Vinaigrette
During my time at abcV, I spent two years refining my skills in a range of captivating cooking methods. So, allow me to share the simple secret to making the perfect crunchy salad and it all starts with the leafy greens you choose at the market.
Crunchy Lettuces
There’s a wide selection of crunchy lettuces available for you to make the perfect crunchy salad. Little Gem, Boston, Romaine, Butterhead, and Iceberg lettuce are some crunchy lettuces you may be familiar with. This assortment of lettuces creates a delicious and crispy salad.
It’s essential to incorporate different textures in your salad bowl. One of the ways you can enhance texture is by adding a mix of nuts such as toasted hazelnuts, cashew halves, walnuts, or almonds. Adding nuts to your salad gives it a satisfying heartiness and enhances its flavor. You can also add protein, grains, fruits or pasta. Your creativity knows no bounds, and what you create depends on what your body craves and desires.
This particular recipe celebrates the deliciousness of a big bowl of lettuce topped with a homemade shallot dressing and fresh seasonal vegetables. What could possibly be better than that? Learning to make simple things shine was a key focus of my chef at abcV.
Homemade Salad Dressings
Making your own salad dressing used to seem really intimidating to me before I went to Culinary school and worked in a restaurant. But then I learned the science behind it and I want to share it with you! Definition of dressing is a flavored liquid used to enhance the character of a salad. Dressings are usually composed of oil and some type of acid. Traditionally ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid or my favorite way is just eyeballing it until you create something that your tastebuds like! My go-to oil is typically a high-quality olive oil, and for acidity, I like to change things up by using citrus juice or champagne vinegar. When I want sweetness in the dressing, I opt for honey, agave, maple syrup, or occasionally brown sugar. For salad emulsification, which is a term meaning to stabilize and preserve the texture of emulsions. I enjoy using maple mustard, tofu, miso, or creme fresh. Remember to include salt and pepper when mixing or blending your ingredients!
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