The Salad Course: Your opportunity to shine!
What? Salad? Shine, you say? Believe it or not, your Salad Course is the quintessential place for you to shine as a chef. The elemental components are relatively few. The execution is fairly basic. All you need to do is balance a few extraordinary flavors. Balance is your benchmark.
The Warm Mushroom Salad I prepared for last week's tasting menu is all that... and more. Unbelieveably simplistic in terms of its ingredients, unbelieveably easy to prep (it is essentially "make ahead"), and a delight not only to the eyes, but the senses, this is one salad that needs to find its place in your salad course rotation. I have yet to serve it to anyone that hasn't delighted in the combination.
Warm Mushroom Salad
Serves 4
To maximize the mushroom flavor, I combine cremini (young cultivated mushrooms) and portabello mushroom caps-- cremini's after all are baby portabellos!. Cremini mushrooms have incredible flavor, and they are available at most produce stores, which makes this salad a snap to do when you need something spectacular on the fly.
1 pound cremini mushrooms
1 pound small portabello mushrooms
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt crushed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 bunches fresh arugula, or spring salad mix de-stemmed, washed and spun dry
4 very thin slices good Italian prosciutto
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
Chunk of Parmesan cheese
8 sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and julienned
Clean the mushrooms. Remove and discard the stems and slice the caps ¼ to ½ inch thick.
In a large sauté pan, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until bubbly. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper to the pan, and sauté for 3 minutes over medium heat, tossing frequently. Reduce the heat to low and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes, until cooked through. Mushrooms should still be firm with a slightly toothy bite. When the mushrooms are cooked, add the sherry vinegar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan. Give it a good toss to combine. Mushrooms can be made several hours ahead, held at room temperature in the saute pan on the stove.
Meanwhile, arrange the salad greens on 4 plates. Pleat the proscuitto into a fan, and place off center on the salad portions. Reheat the mushrooms over medium heat if you made them ahead. Spoon the mushrooms and vinaigrette on top of the proscuitto. With a vegetable peeler, make large shavings of Paremsan cheese and place ontop of the hot mushrooms, or coarsely grate over salad. Sprinkle with the sun-dried tomoates, salt and pepper. Serve warm with slices of Rustic Goat Cheese Galette.
adapted from Barefoot in Paris, by Ina Garten. Copyright © 2004 by Ina Garten.
Rustic Goat Cheese Galette
Serves 6
The creamy tangy flavor of the goat cheese is dramatically enhanced by the quality of cheese used. For those who are not big fans of goat cheese, I recommend selecting the mild, processed brands available in the grocery store. I like to use this as a base, but cut in about 2 ounces of artisinal goat cheese, including that deliciously amazing bloomy rind.
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, placed in the freezer for 1 hour
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and placed in the freezer for 1 hour
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
For the filling
5 ounces fresh goat cheese
4 ounces ricotta cheese
3 ounces mozzarella, coarsely grated
1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Make the pastry
1. Place the flour and salt on a cold work surface. With a pastry scraper, cut the butter into the flour until half of the butter is the size of peas and the other half is smaller. Make a well in the center of the flour and add half of the water. Push together with your fingertips and set aside any dough that holds together. Add the rest of the water and repeat. Form the mixture into a rough ball.
Alternatively, this can be done in a food processor. (Note: I prefer the speed of the food processor. The advanced freezing of the butter and flour is essential. You will create this amazing pastry dough in seconds!)
2. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a 14- to 15-inch circle. Trim the
edges. Place on a large sheet pan in the refrigerator. For individual servings, use a biscuit cutter or mini tart pan about 4 to 6 inches in diameter. Cut individual pastry and place on a large sheet pan. Place pan in refrigerator as above.
Make the filling
1. Mix together the goat cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, crème fraîche, and Parmigiano. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Assemble
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Spread the cheese over the pastry, leaving a 2 1/2-inch border around the edge uncovered. Fold the uncovered edge of the pastry over the cheese, pleating it to make it fit. There will be an open hole in the center.
2. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then slide the
galette off the pan and onto a serving plate. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. If serving as a stand alone, a savory garnished such as olives, roasted peppers and herbs or sundried tomatoes adds an important finish.
adapted from a recipe by Joanne Weir in From Tapas to Meze: Small Plates from the Mediterranean (Ten Speed Press, 2004). Recipe © 2004 by Joanne Weir.
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