Heat the oven to 350°F.
When cool enough to handle, swipe the chapons
Using a sharp, serrated knife, trim the crust
lightly with the garlic clove (or to taste) and snap
from the bread and cut into 1⁄2- to 3⁄4-inch-wide
into large, rustic pieces.
slices. Cut each slice into 1⁄2- to 3⁄4-inch-wide
strips, and then tear the strips into 1⁄2- to 3⁄4-
inch rustic cubes. Put the bread on a baking
sheet and toss lightly with the oil. Spread the
bread into an even layer and season lightly with
salt. Bake until crisp and light golden brown
outside and tender inside, about 10 minutes.
Set aside to cool on the pan.
Making a Better Salad 11
11
provide a neutral base and work well in combination
with other oils to make lighter vinaigrettes or
pa i n d i M i e c r o uto n s
vinaigrettes with more emphasis on the flavor of the
makes enough for 6 salads
acid or other keys ingredients. Use nut and seed oils
Six 1⁄4-inch-thick slices Pain di Mie, or Pullman loaf
as an accent (with olive oil or flavorless oil) rather
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
than as a key ingredient.
Heat the oven to 350°F.
Duck and pork fat: Rendered duck and pork fat
Neatly trim the crust off the bread. Cut each
make rich, warm vinaigrettes. After browning meats
slice into triangles, rectangles, or squares,
like duck confit, bacon, pancetta, or chorizo, use
depending on the size and shape crouton you
some or all of the pan drippings, depending on how
want. Brush a sheet pan with butter and place
the croutons on the pan. Brush the top side of
much vinaigrette you need. I often pour off some
the bread with butter. Bake until just golden
of the fat and add a little olive oil. While the fat is
around the perimeter, about 5 minutes. Set
hot, add minced shallot or garlic, and sauté briefly
aside to cool on the sheet pan.
(so still a little crunchy), scraping the pan to get the
tasty bits clinging to the bottom. Remove the pan
from the heat and wait several seconds before you
add the vinegar. Taste the vinaigrette for acid and
salt—if the drippings are salty, you may not need any
additional salt in the vinaigrette. Use the vinaigrette
Making vinaigrette
immediately, or reheat it briefly over low heat before
Homemade vinaigrettes are easy to make and much
dressing the salad.
better than store-bought dressings. Once you
Dairy fat: To make creamy vinaigrettes, replace
understand the foundation, you can combine different
some or all of the oil in basic vinaigrette with heavy
oils and vinegars or citrus juices, add different
cream, crème fraîche, sour cream, buttermilk, or
ingredients to flavor the vinaigrette, and whisk in eggs,
yogurt. Avoid ultra-pasteurized heavy cream; it has
cream, or cheese. With a little practice, you won’t need
been pasteurized more aggressively to increase shelf
a recipe.
life and has less sweet cream flavor. When buying
sour cream, don’t buy fat-free; it contains thickeners
key components
and flavoring. I like thick, whole-milk Greek style
At its most basic, vinaigrette is a mixture of oil (or fat),
yogurt—it makes a wonderfully creamy dressing.
acid (vinegar or citrus juice), and salt. A ratio of 1 part
When cooked until golden brown and nutty,
vinegar to 3 to 4 parts oil and a pinch of salt is a good
butter makes a delicious warm vinaigrette. Simply
rule of thumb, but it’s always necessary to taste the
melt in a small pan over medium-high heat and swirl
vinaigrette—preferably with a leaf or key ingredient in
until brown flecks appear. Like warm vinaigrettes
the salad—to adjust the acidity and salt as necessary.
prepared with fat, you can add and quickly sauté
shallot and garlic. Chopped hearty herbs like sage,
oils and fats
rosemary, and thyme are also nice in brown butter
Oils: I use good-quality extra-virgin olive oil most
vinaigrettes. Add them to the browned butter to bring
frequently in vinaigrette. Flavorless oils and nut
out their flavor before finishing the vinaigrette off
and seed oils can be used as well. Flavorless oils
the heat with lemon juice or vinegar and salt.
12 Making a Better Salad
acid
garlic
Acid—vinegar and citrus juice—makes vinaigrettes
New garlic—garlic that has just been harvested in June
bright, especially when seasoned with salt and
and July—is sweet and less pungent than garlic that
combined with the right amount of olive oil. Finding
has been sitting for several months. As garlic ages and
the right balance of acid is key to making a good
sprouts, its flavor becomes stronger and less desirable,
vinaigrette and salad; too much acid strips your palette
especially when raw. If you find a green sprout in
and ruins the salad and the meal. Start with less acid
the center of a clove as you peel it, split the clove
and add more as needed.
lengthwise and remove the sprout.
When shopping for garlic, look for firm, tight,
salt
heavy bulbs. Avoid bulbs that at all soft, spongy, or
Salt has an almost magical effect on vinegar and citrus
starting to sprout. Don’t buy prepeeled garlic. If this
juice. It reduces the acid and helps balance vinaigrette.
is your only option, go without garlic.
A heavy mortar and pestle is the best tool for
ingredients for
mashing garlic (don’t forget a pinch of salt) into
a liVely Vinaigrette
a smooth purée for vinaigrettes. You can also give
Beyond the key components, you can add a variety of
cloves a firm whack with the side of knife, add a
other ingredients to a vinaigrette, and you don’t always
pinch of salt, and mash garlic with the back
need to follow a recipe. Keep in mind the ratio of acid
of the knife. An old-fashioned garlic press works,
to fat (see p. XX), and follow the technique on p. XX.
too, but I find that a lot of clove stays in the press.
Garlic oxidizes quickly, so peel, chop, or mash
it just before using it. When making vinaigrettes, put
it directly into the acid to sit, and when making aioli
and other sauces, immediately combine it with the
oil. If you want to mash garlic a little ahead of time,
cover it with oil to protect it from the air.
shallots
Finely diced shallots add a delicate onion flavor to
vinaigrettes. Like garlic, choose firm shallots that are
heavy for their size, and avoid any that are soft and
spongy or sprouting. One small shallot is plenty for
1⁄2 cup of vinaigrette.
Knowing how to cut a shallot into fine dice and
thin slices will change the qual
ity of your life in the
kitchen. Be sure to use a sharp knife when dicing or
slicing shallots.
When making vinaigrette, combine the shallots
with the acid and salt, and let them sit for 5 to 10
minutes to remove some of their gassy flavor. Then
add the oil or other fat.
Making a Better Salad 13
13
basic skills
generally finish the vinaigrette or the salad with the
To dice a shallot, cut it in half
lengthwise through the root end,
same herb, freshly chopped or picked.
leaving the end intact. Peel the
halves. Place the halves on the
mustard
cutting board, flat side down.
Mustard adds a spicy edge to a variety of vinaigrettes.
Working with one half at a time
I like it in combination with wine vinegars, cider
and keeping the root end in
vinegar, and lemon juice, as well as with garlic and
tack, careful y make about 2 to
4 (depending on the size of the
shallots. It’s also good in vinaigrettes with capers and/
shal ot) horizontal slices about
or anchovies. I use it most frequently with olive oil,
1⁄8 inch wide, stopping just before the root end,. Then, starting just
but it’s delicious in creamy and mayonnaise-based
ahead of the root end, cut straight down into vertical slices about
vinaigrettes. And don’t forget about warm vinaigrettes
1⁄8 inch thick. Final y, cut crosswise and straight down into fine
with duck or pork fat.
1⁄8-inch dice.
Use a good-quality Dijon-style mustard rather
To slice a shallot, halve, peel, and
than mustard flavored with tumeric and other spices.
place the halves flat side down on
I keep both traditional Dijon and whole-grain Dijon
the cutting board, as for dicing
mustard on hand. Whole-grain mustard adds texture
a shal ot. Holding your knife at a
to vinaigrettes as well as an aesthetic in certain salads,
slight angle, cut off the root end.
like potato salads.
To get consistently thin slices, keep
When using mustard, combine it with the acid
your knife at a slight angle and cut
and salt before adding the oil or other fat. Mustard is
the shal ot into lengthwise slices as
thin as you like. Slowly adjust the
an emulsifier. Whisk in the oil or fat slowly and you
angle of your knife, fol owing the
quickly get a beautifully emulsified vinaigrette.
curve of the shal ot. When you reach the middle of the shal ot, your
knife will be straight and then you’ll slowly begin to angle it again
anchovies
as you approach the opposite end. (If you cut straight down, you
Anchovies pair well with almost everything listed on
get round end slices.) When the shal ot becomes difficult to balance
these pages, and they’re good with wine vinegars and
upright, push it over so that the recently cut flat surface is on the
board and continue slicing in the same angled manner.
lemon juice. Chop or mash and add them to a variety
of vinaigrettes.
herbs
In general, tender herbs (parsley, basil, chives, chervil,
olives and capers
tarragon, cilantro, dill, and mint) are the best choice
Olives and capers are delicious chopped and stirred
for vinaigrettes. Tender marjoram and sorrel are also
into vinaigrettes. Use them in combination with
an option. Used sparingly, heartier herbs, like savory,
other common Mediterranean ingredients like garlic,
thyme, and rosemary, can be nice on occasion (I like
shallots, tomatoes, and peppers. Keep in mind that
them in warm vinaigrettes). Add hearty herbs to the
both olives and capers pack a salty punch; salt the
warm fat to “bloom” before adding the vinegar.
vinaigrette and salad conservatively.
Chop herbs and stir them into finished
vinaigrettes. You can also infuse herb flavor into
spices
the acid and salt. Bruise a few leaves and let them sit
Fragrant spices make exotic vinaigrettes. I often use
in the acid for 10 to 15 minutes; remove the leaves
cumin, coriander, fennel seed, cayenne, cinnamon,
before you finish the vinaigrette. In this case, I
and paprika, particularly in Mediterranean-inspired
14 Making a Better Salad
vinaigrettes and salads. They pair especially well with
I generally peel ginger with a small, sharp knife, but
citrus juices.
many prefer to scrape the skin off with a spoon. To
finely grate ginger, a Microplane zester works best. Or
citrus zest and pulp
for slightly more texture, cut the ginger into very thin
Citrus zest imparts citrus flavor in vinaigrettes and
strips (chiffonade), and then cut it crosswise into very
salads without adding a lot of acid or sweetness. I
fine dice. If it’s still a bit chunky at this point, run your
generally combine grated zest with finely diced shallot
knife over it a few more times so it’s not too fibrous.
when making citrus vinaigrettes. When adding zest to
(A little texture is nice in vinaigrette; fiber is not.)
vinaigrettes, let it sit in the citrus juice or vinegar for 5
to 10 minutes before whisking in the oil. A Microplane
horseradish
zester is best when you want small wisps of zest. For
Similar to ginger, fresh horseradish or good-quality
more texture, I use a traditional zester that removes
prepared horseradish imparts a clean, spicy flavor
the zest in long thin strips and then chop it by hand.
to vinaigrette. I like it in creamy vinaigrettes with
You can add chopped citrus pulp to vinaigrette
champagne vinegar and shallots or paired with lemon,
as well. It makes especially fruity vinaigrettes. Use
mustard, garlic, and olive oil. You can also stir it into
sweeter varieties of citrus like Meyer lemon, orange,
mayonnaise-based vinaigrettes for a creamy effect
grapefruit, and tangerine. I also like thinly sliced,
without the cream. If you want to add herbs to the
sweet and sour Kumquats, rind and all. If your Meyer
vinaigrette or salad, use parsley, chives, chervil, or
lemons have a nice, thin rind, use the rind if you
tarragon.
don’t mind the chewy texture.
Look for firm, unblemished fresh horseradish
When using citrus pulp in vinaigrettes, add the
roots. Use a vegetable peeler or a small, sharp knife
pulp to the acid and salt mixture and check that the
to remove the outer layer. Peeling might make your
balance is right before you whisk in the oil. If the
eyes burn, and you should avoid touching your eyes
pulp imparts a slightly bitter flavor to the acid, add a
after handling it. To grate fresh horseradish, use a
pinch of sugar or a little honey.
Microplane zester or the small holes of a box grater.
You can also roughly chop horseradish
and then
ginger
finely chop it in a food processor.
Fresh ginger, particularly when combined with
When making vinaigrette, macerate the
lime juice, lends a clean, fresh taste to vinaigrette.
horseradish with the vinegar or citrus juice and salt
It’s perfectly suited for Asian- or Indian-inspired
before adding oil or cream.
vinaigrettes and salads. Ginger vinaigrette goes nicely
with fruit, avocado, and seafood as well as cucumber and
honey
mint. This is one instance where I almost always use at
Honey adds more complex sweetness to vinaigrettes
least a portion of flavorless oil to preserve the clarity of
than sugar. A few drops can help balance tart or
flavors. To make a simple, spicy vinaigrette, combine
astringent citrus vinaigrettes. Avoid strong-flavored
freshly grated ginger with finely diced shallot, jalapeno,
honey—it can take over quickly.
and fresh lime juice. Let it sit with a good pinch of salt,
If you make honey a key component in vinai-
of course, and finish with flavorless oil.
grette, balance its sweetness with citrus juice or
When shopping for ginger, look for smooth,
red- or white-wine vinegar. Honey vinaigrettes pair
firm roots. Roots that are beginning to soften or
nicely with bitter greens, fruits like oranges, figs, and
crinkle and pucker on the ends are past their prime.
melon, nuts, and salty cheeses like feta.
Making a Better Salad 15
15
When adding honey to vinaigrette, stir it into
combine the cheese with the vinegar and salt mixture,
the acid and salt mixture before adding the oil. If
and then stir in the oil, if any, and dairy fat. When
your honey has crystallized, warm it gently to loosen
adding hard grated cheeses to mayonnaise-based
it before adding it to the acid mixture. You can
dressings, stir in the cheese at the end.
also infuse honey with whole spices like fennel seed
Rich and creamy vinaigrettes containing cheese
and hearty herbs like rosemary before adding it to
are well suited for crisp lettuces, like romaine, Little
vinaigrettes. Simply warm the honey over low heat
Gem, or iceberg, and hearty chicories, like escarole.
with toasted whole spices or bruised herb leaves, and
let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the
egg yolks
herbs and spices before you continue.
Egg yolks add richness to vinaigrette. You can whisked
Salad for Dinner Page 3