Salade Niçoise
A classic from the esteemed Julia Child, this colorful salad can be customized to your liking.
Ingredients:
¾ pound green beans, trimmed
1 pound baby red potatoes
½ shallot, chopped
2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
4 cups salad greens
2 (6-7 ounce) cans tuna
½ cup Nicoise olives
3 hard-boiled eggs
3 tablespoons chopped herbs, such as parsley, oregano and French tarragon
2-3 teaspoons capers, drained and rinsed
Niçoise vinaigrette (see recipe)
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Lift out with tongs and rinse with very cold water.
2. Return the water to a boil. Add the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small knife. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
3. As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel if desired and slice thickly. Add ½ cup of the vinaigrette and the shallot. With a rubber spatula, gently toss the warm potatoes with the Niçoise vinaigrette; set aside to cool. In another bowl, toss the beans with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to coat them. In a third bowl, toss the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to coat them.
4. On a large platter, arrange the lettuce. Add the potatoes, beans, and tomatoes. Top with tuna, and olives. Spoon some of the remaining dressing over the salad and sprinkle with the herbs and capers. Peel the eggs, pat them dry, and halve them. Garnish with peeled, hard-boiled eggs.
Variations: This recipe can be modified with an array of seasonal produce, it is especially wonderful with radishes or sweet peppers! You can also try substituting the canned tuna with seared Ahi steaks, or even grilled salmon.
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Crème Fraîche Salad Dressing
Creamy, yet light, this dressing is fantastic tossed with greens and thinly-sliced radish.
Ingredients:
¼ cup crème fraîche
¾ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 scallions, white parts only finely-minced, or 1 shallot, peeled and finely-minced
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, olive oil, and honey.
2. Add the scallion or shallot, vinegar, salt, and pepper and whisk again. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste, or a touch more vinegar if you prefer your dressing on the acidic side.
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Grilled Cherry Salsa
This flavorful salsa is excellent on top of pork tenderloin, or served with crackers and whipped ricotta!
Ingredients:
1½ cups cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup diced shallot
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Method:
1. Heat the grill to high.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the cherries with oil until well coated. Carefully place the cherries onto the grill grates (or use a grilling basket) and grill until lightly charred in spots and tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to return the cherries to the bowl. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Once the cherries have cooled, add the onion, garlic, vinegar and cilantro. Mix well, then season with salt and pepper.
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Blueberry-Peach Crumb Bars
A just-right mix of chewy and crispy, these bars travel well—perfect for summer picnicking!
Ingredients:
CRUMBLE:
3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¾ cup plain yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Zest of 1 lemon
1½ cups cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 large egg yolks
¾ cup sliced almonds
FILLING:
2½ cups sliced peeled fresh peaches
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Juice of 1 lemon
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, and spray lightly with baking spray.
2. For crumble: In the work bowl of a food processor, place flour, sugars, cornmeal, salt, cinnamon, and zest; pulse until combined. Add cold butter, and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Add egg yolks, pulsing until a loose dough forms. Stir in almonds. Firmly pat 4 1⁄2 cups mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Reserve remaining crumble.
3. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
4. For filling: In a medium bowl, stir together peaches, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Pour over the crust; top with reserved crumble.
Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
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Fava Bean Dip
This simple, fresh dip enhances the inherent nutty flavor of fresh fava beans.
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh fava beans, peeled, blanched and steamed (see method)
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese (or use this week’s herbed cream cheese!)
1 tablespoons Grana-style cheese, grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine the cooked beans with the olive oil, mint, garlic, lemon juice and both cheeses in a food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and process again until just combined.
2. Transfer dip to a small serving bowl and garnish with additional chopped mint. Serve at once.
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Niçoise Vinaigrette
Julia Child’s famous vinaigrette, crafted from lemon juice and Dijon mustard.
Ingredients:
1 lemon, zested and juiced (at least 2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon finely minced shallots
1 cup excellent olive oil
Method:
1. Combine lemon zest, juice, mustard and shallots in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking until all ingredients are combined and dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
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Radicchio Salad with Peaches & Hazelnuts
This salad is amazing with pretty much any stone fruit, from plums to apricots to this week’s yellow peaches.
Ingredients:
1 medium head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
1 medium head endive frisée, torn into bite-size pieces
2 peaches, pitted and cut into thin slices
¼ cup hazelnut oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 ounces chevre cheese, crumbled
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large bowl, whisk the hazelnut oil with the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the radicchio and frisée and toss until coated. Add the peach slices, goat cheese and hazelnuts, season the salad with salt and pepper, toss gently and serve.
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Radicchio Salad with Fresh Chevre & Marcona Almonds
This salad is crisp and colorful, complete with blushy radicchio and juicy citrus.
Ingredients:
1 head Chioggia radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
4 cups mixed salad greens
1 orange, removed of peel and any pith, and sliced into thin rounds
1 blood orange, removed of peel and any pith, and sliced into thin rounds
½ cup top-quality olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 ounces chevre cheese, crumbled
½ cup Marcona almonds, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the radicchio and greens to a large salad bowl, and drizzle with about half the vinaigrette and toss until coated. Add the orange slices, goat cheese and hazelnuts, drizzle with additional vinaigrette, and season the salad with salt and pepper. Toss gently together once more and serve.
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How-To: Prep Fava Beans
Our quick guide to peeling and prepping fresh fava beans!
Ingredients:
1 pound fava beans
Method:
1. Peel: Pull off the top and “unzip” the seam of the bean pod. Open the pod and remove the beans. (There are usually 4 to 5 beans per pod.) The beans have a waxy outer coating, which you’ll need to remove.
2. Prep: Blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The waxy coating will slip then right off.
3. Cook: From here, steam the beans until tender in a steamer basket or covered in the microwave, 3-5 minutes.
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Pickled Ramps
A lovely way to preserve and enjoy these rare spring ramps for weeks to come.
Ingredients:
8 ounces ramps
2 dried red chiles
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Method:
1. Trim greens from ramps; reserve for another use—like pesto! Pack bulbs into a heatproof 1-pint jar along with dried red chiles, bay leaves, fennel seeds and black peppercorns.
2. Bring white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve. Pour over ramps to cover. Seal jar. Let cool, then chill.
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