Around My French Table (25 page)
Read Around My French Table Online
Authors: Dorie Greenspan
| ½ | pound fresh mozzarella, preferably mozzarella di bufala (burrata is delicious) |
| 16 | small sweet strawberries, hulled |
| 16 | grape or cherry tomatoes or 2 regular tomatoes |
| Salt, preferably fleur de sel, and freshly ground pepper | |
| Extra-virgin olive oil | |
| A few pink peppercorns | |
| 4 | fresh basil leaves, halved lengthwise and shredded |
| Raspberry or balsamic vinegar (optional) |
For the best flavor and texture, assemble this salad as close to serving time as possible.
Drain the mozzarella, if it's in water, and lightly pat it dry. Cut into 8 slices. If you're serving the salad family-style, put the slices on a platter; if you're arranging individual salads, put 2 slices on each plate.
Cut the strawberries in half the long way—if your strawberries are large, you might want to slice them into thirds—and put them in a bowl. Cut the grape or cherry tomatoes crosswise into thirds or, if you've got larger tomatoes, cut them into cubes about the size of the sliced berries, and put them in the bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and moisten—just moisten—with a few drops of olive oil. Turn the fruit around gently in the bowl and taste it for seasoning to decide whether or not you're going to want to add a dash of
vinegar (but don't add it yet). Arrange the berries and tomatoes alongside the mozzarella on the platter or salad plates.
Finish the salad by pouring a little olive oil over the mozzarella, then crushing the pink peppercorns between your fingertips and sprinkling the pieces over both the fruit and the cheese; scatter the shredded basil leaves over them. If you've decided on vinegar, drizzle it over the salad. Serve immediately—you don't want the salt and vinegar to diminish the juiciness of the fruit.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
SERVING
The salad needs nothing more than a basket of baguette slices on the table so that the last little bit of juice can be sopped up and enjoyed.
STORING
This salad must be eaten as soon as it's assembled.
There are two surefire ways to tell that you're in France. The first is that there are cafés on every corner and patisseries every few blocks. The second is that whether you order a sandwich at one of those cafés or an elaborate starter at a fancy restaurant, the dish's tomatoes will be peeled.
Tomatoes are peeled in France for the same reason that bell peppers are usually served cooked: they're more digestible that way. And, as a very young Parisian friend told me: they feel better in your mouth.
The practice is so widespread that even back-of-the-box recipes that might take just five to ten minutes to make specify peeled tomatoes. And, no, unlike so many other nifty French products, you can't buy "ready-made" peeled tomatoes.
However, peeling tomatoes is easy. Bring a pot of water to a boil and have a strainer and a bowl at the ready Using a paring knife, cut a small, very shallow X in the base of each tomato. Drop some of the tomatoes into the boiling water—you don't want to crowd the pot—and count to 20. Using the strainer, scoop the tomatoes out of the pot and into the bowl. Repeat with any remaining tomatoes.
When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, you should be able to slip off their skins. If the skins are recalcitrant, return the tomatoes to the pot for another 10 seconds.
And, if you want to be really French, while you're peeling the tomatoes, seed them too. Halve them and use the tip of a small spoon or your fingers to scoop out the seeds and jelly-like pulp.
Why do it? Once again, digestibility (the French take their stomachs very seriously) and the pleasure of having something homogeneous in your mouth.
W
HAT MAKES THIS SIMPLE SALAD
so interesting is the play between the earthy, almost mineral flavor of the beets, the sweetness of the honey, and the punch you get from the dressing's lime and vinegar. I like to serve these cool beets alongside Salmon and Potatoes in a Jar (
[>]
) or grilled chicken or fish, particularly in summer, but they're a good addition to a main-course salad. Think of them when you're making a plated salad with poached or grilled shrimp, slices of chicken breast, or, best of all, smoked trout. And turn to them when you've got a lineup of salads for a starter—they go well with pickled cucumbers (
[>]
), grated carrot salad (
[>]
), and leeks vinaigrette (
[>]
).
For another, less pungent beet salad, try Chunky Beets and Icy Red Onions (
[>]
).
BE PREPARED:
The beets need to be chilled for at least 2 hours.
| 2 | teaspoons cider vinegar |
| Grated zest and juice of ½ lime | |
| 2 | teaspoons honey |
| 2-3 | teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| 2 | teaspoons minced fresh dill |
| 2 | teaspoons minced fresh chives |
| Salt and freshly ground pepper | |
| 1 | pound cooked beets (see [>] ; I use red beets here, but goldens are good too), peeled |
| Minced fresh dill and chives, for garnish (optional) |
Whisk together the vinegar, lime zest and juice, and honey in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the dill and chives, and season with salt and pepper.
Cut the beets into wedges (about ½ inch thick), add them to the bowl, and gently turn them around in the vinaigrette. Cover the bowl and chill the beets for at least 2 hours, or for as long as overnight.
At serving time, stir in another teaspoon of oil, if you think the salad needs it, and taste for salt and pepper. If you're using them, top with minced herbs.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
SERVING
The salad is good chilled or at room temperature, served alongside a main dish, partnered with other salads as a starter, or given star treatment by setting it on a bed of lightly dressed greens (I like arugula) and topping it with a mini spoonful of crème fraîche or sour cream.
STORING
The salad can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
H
ERE'S MY GO-TO BEET SALAD,
the one I like to serve alongside anything grilled or to pair with soft goat cheese. While I think of Lime and Honey Beet Salad (
[>]
) as a summer salad, this combination can take you through every season. It's most typical of the kind of dish you'd get if you ordered a salad plate as a starter in a simple bistro. Like its zestier cousin, the salad has a little honey, just enough to soften the edges of the sherry vinegar dressing.
BE PREPARED:
The beets and dressing need to be refrigerated for about an hour before serving.
| 1 | small red onion, quartered and very thinly sliced |
| 1 | teaspoon Dijon mustard |
| 1 | teaspoon honey |
| 1 | tablespoon sherry vinegar |
| 2 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
| Salt and freshly ground pepper | |
| 1 | pound cooked beets (see [>] ), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes |
| 2 | teaspoons minced fresh oregano (my first choice), marjoram, thyme, or parsley |
Put the sliced onion in a small bowl of cold water and slosh the slices around for a second to rinse and remove any bitterness. To give the onions crunch, pour off the water and refill the bowl with fresh cold water and ice cubes. Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Meanwhile, put the mustard, honey, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small jar, cover, and shake until the dressing is emulsified; or whisk in a bowl.
(You can make the dressing up to 1 week ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.)
Toss the cubed beets with the dressing in a bowl, and chill for about an hour.
At serving time, fold the fresh herb into the salad and taste for salt and pepper. Drain the onion slices, pat them dry, and sprinkle over the top of the salad.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
SERVING
The salad is good chilled and nicest when the herb and onion are added at the last minute.
STORING
The salad can be kept covered overnight in the refrigerator.
BONNE IDÉE
Chunky Beets and Icy Red Onions with Goat Cheese and Arugula.
Toss a handful of arugula with a little of the vinaigrette and spread the greens on a platter. Cut about 12 grape or cherry tomatoes in half and, at serving time, toss these with the beets and herb. Scatter the vegetables over the greens and top with 4 serving-sized pieces of goat cheese, either rounds cut from a log of soft fresh goat cheese or wedges cut from a disk of fresh cheese. Top with the icy onions. Alternatively, you can make this salad with crumbled firm goat cheese in place of the soft cheese, or you can make crumbled Roquefort the cheese topping. Do this, and you might want to omit the onions.
M
Y FRIEND THE FABULOUS COOK
Frederick Grasser-Herme made a version of this dish, in which zucchini is cut like tagliatelle, about fifteen years ago, when we were sharing a cottage on the Bassin d'Arcachon. At the time, the idea of making one food look like another was a novelty—today it's a trend, one that works really well here. The zucchini is cut into ribbons, crunchy cucumber is added for texture, and onion, mint, lemon, and pistachio oil are added for zip. This is a great summer dish and good for picnics.
BE PREPARED:
The salad needs to be refrigerated for at least I hour before serving.
| 3 | zucchini (about 1½ pounds total), trimmed |
| 1 | large cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise in half, and seeded |
| 1 | cup finely diced Vidalia or other sweet onion (if you use a regular onion, rinse and dry the diced onion) |
| Grated zest of 1 lemon | |
| 1½ | cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves (preferably not peppermint), coarsely chopped |
| ¼ | cup fresh lemon juice |
| 2 | tablespoons pistachio oil (see Sources [>] ) |
| Salt and freshly ground pepper |
How you treat the zucchini skin is up to you. I don't like the taste of the skin but I do like the look of it, so I peel away strips and get half as much of it. If the skin doesn't bother you, leave it on; if it really bothers you, peel it off completely.
Working with a mandoline, a Benriner slicer, or the slicing blade of a box grater, cut each zucchini lengthwise into strips—tagliatelle—about 1/8 inch thick. Work on one side of the zucchini until you reach the seeds, then turn and cut the next side; continue to turn each time you reach the seeds. You'll be left with a seedy inner rectangle of zucchini; discard it. Toss the zucchini into a large bowl.
Cut each cucumber half lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut the strips into slices about ¼ inch thick; toss them into the bowl. Add the onion, lemon zest, and half of the chopped mint and toss everything together gently but thoroughly.