Salade Composee Recipes

SOUS-CHEF SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add plenty of salt to taste of the sea.
• Add potatoes, and boil until the thin tip of a knife can pierce a potato as if going into soft wax, 8 to 9 minutes. Retrieve potatoes with a spider, and let cool and drain on a baker's rack set into a sheet pan nearby.
• Add green beans to still-boiling water, and boil until the color transforms from raw and dusty to saturated deep green, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a spider, and set out to drain and cool on the baker's rack.
• Add the eggs directly from the refrigerator into the boiling water, and boil for 8 minutes. Dump eggs and boiling water into the sink, letting the shells crackle as they land hard. Peel eggs while submerged under cold running water, which helps to stop the cooking and release the shells easily. Set peeled eggs to rest on the rack.
• While eggs boil, wash and spin-dry lettuce.
• Remove green leafy tops from radishes, and save for another use, if desired. Wash and carefully rinse radishes, taking care to remove any grit or sand.
• On a large rimmed platter, begin to assemble the salad by tearing the clean, dry lettuce and arranging it as the bed.
• Use a sharp paring knife to split the green beans in half crosswise. Scatter them artfully around the bed of lettuce.
• Split the potatoes in half and arrange artfully.
• Split artichokes, if whole, into quarters and arrange artfully.
• Repeat with cherry tomatoes, followed by radishes, split into quarters, then eggs, quartered into wedges.
• Remove tuna from the jar with a fork. Break it into chunks, and nestle it into the mound of salad. Drizzle the tuna oil over the salad.
• Finish with scattered red onion and split olives.
• Microplane the garlic into a small bowl. Add red-wine vinegar and 3 to 4 long glugs of olive oil (about 1/4 cup), and stir together briskly. Season with salt and a lot of freshly ground pepper.
• Just before dressing the salad, tear the basil leaves to release their fragrance. Scatter them around the whole salad.
• When ready to serve, drizzle dressing evenly and thoroughly over salad. When ready to eat, toss to dress, and don't worry about messing up the beauty.

TUNA SALAD COMPOSéE

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients well with a fork in a medium-size, nonreactive bowl. Taste and adjust the lemon juice and pepper. The salad can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.

COMPOSED SALAD PALOISE

Steps:

• Make the vinaigrette by whisking together ingredients. Set aside. Drizzle the asparagus and celery root with the vinaigrette, just before serving. Place the lettuce leaves around the edges of the salad platter. Arrange artichokes, asparagus and celery root over lettuce. Dribble vinaigrette over all and sprinkle with herbs.

FRENCH SALAD- SALADE COMPOSEE

Steps:

• Marinate kidney beans, zucchini, and mushrooms in vinaigrette for 20- 30 minutes.
• At serving time, toss mixed salad greens in a bowl with vinaigrette and arrange around edges of a large serving dish.
• Mound beans in center, and decorate base with groups of marinated mushrooms and zucchini interspersed with hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives, anchovies, and chunks of tuna.
• Pour a bit more vinaigrette over all, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.
• Cooking time is marinade time.
• Delicious with grilled olive-oiled French bread and a chilled rosé wine.