Brunch Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
My friend is getting married in a few weeks and I brought this salad to her shower last weekend. Not to brag, but salad is kind of my specialty.
The shower was a brunch so I wanted to bring something that would pair well with brunch food and that would be really easy to put together with no last minute chopping or getting someone else’s kitchen dirty.
I came up with this mixed green salad which is similar to a French bistro salad often times served with a poached egg and lardons, so I knew it would go well on a brunch menu. I went with a mix of frisee (aka curly endive or chicory, but not to be confused with escarole), radicchio and baby romaine that all really offer a variety of textures and colors which is essential in such a simple salad. These greens also hold up really nicely even after being dressed and I was able to clean and dry them the day before, pack them in large ziploc bags and just assemble the salad easily when I got to the shower.
The nuts and shaved parmesan (I just use a vegetable peeler on a block of parmesan) add a little richness and nuttiness, and are key ingredients in this recipe along with the chives and a good amount of fresh ground black pepper to finish it. The vinaigrette is really about as easy as it gets and the champagne vinegar adds the right amount of acidity so don’t use another type unless you absolutely have to.
Have fun!
It is essential that you let the raddichio sit in ice cold water for a good thirty minutes or so in order for it to lose some of it’s bitterness. I just chop it up, top it off with water and throw a good amount of ice on top. Spin it in a salad spinner like you would with the other greens, and it is good to go.
- 2 small heads, or 1 large frisee torn up into 2 inch (or so) pieces
- 1 small head raddicchio chopped into 1 inch wide ribbons, core removed
- 6 baby heads romaine (or if you can't find baby romaine, the inner pieces of a regular head chopped into 2 inch pieces)
- 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard (not grainy)
- 1/2 c champagne vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 c olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
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Chop raddicchio into 1 inch wide strips, discarding core and very outside pieces. Set in a large bowl and cover with ice water for 30 mins.
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Meanwhile, rinse and clean all other greens (make sure they are very dry) and arrange in a large bowl. Make dressing during this time as well.
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Drain and dry raddicchio and add to bowl with other greens.
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Add desired amount of dressing and toss together. Top with walnuts, chives, parmesan and a generous sprinkle of black pepper.
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Combine everything but the olive oil in a blender. Blend on low until combined. Drizzle in olive oil slowly until emulsified. Season with kosher salt to taste.
Yum
