24 MARCH 2019
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123 4
(^56)
A CLASSIC GREEN SALAD—one featur-
ing crisp lettuces and raw seasonal
vegetables tossed with a barely-there
vinaigrette—elevates any meal. The
trick to serving a properly dressed, not
wilting salad is in the technique you
use to build it, starting with the dress-
ing, preferably using a large wooden
salad bowl. (We’re partial to this satiny
black walnut one from Andrew Pearce,
but any wooden bowl broad enough to
prevent flyaway leaves will do.) Begin
with the acids: For balance, use at least
two vinegars or citrus juices. Add a
drizzle of honey or pinch of sugar—the
sweetness will help balance the acids’
bite. Finally, rapidly incorporate the oil
to form an emulsion. For best flavor,
use a mix, such as grapeseed plus a
good olive oil or a nut oil, such as wal-
nut. A properly emulsified vinaigrette
will suspend the acids and seasonings
in the oil, coating each lettuce leaf
without weighing it down. Toss just
before serving using the trick in step 5,
at right. MARYFRANCES HECK
TOTAL 10 MIN; SERVES 4
1 Tbsp. vinegar (such as a mix of white
balsamic and sherry), plus more
1 Tbsp. minced shallot
1 / 4 lemon
1 /^2 tsp. sea salt, plus more
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 / 4 tsp. honey (optional)
1 /^8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as
grapeseed)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced raw hard
vegetables (such as radishes,
carrots, asparagus, and cucumbers)
8 cups leafy salad greens, torn into
bite-size pieces
1 /^2 cup tender fresh herb leaves
SALAD DONE RIGHT
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BLEND ACIDS
Pour vinegar into a large
wooden bowl; add shallot.
Squeeze juice from lemon
into bowl, catching seeds;
rub bowl with outside of
lemon rind. Discard lemon
rind and seeds.SEASON
Add salt, and whisk until
dissolved. Add mustard;
honey, if using; and black
pepper. Whisk until fully
incorporated.EMULSIFY
Combine oils in a spouted
measuring cup; add oils to
dressing in bowl in a slow,
thin stream, whisking con-
stantly and vigorously until
oils are incorporated and
dressing looks creamy.DRESS VEGETABLES
Add sliced hard vegetables
such as radishes and carrots
to bowl with dressing; toss to
coat. Taste and adjust sea-
soning with more vinegar,
lemon juice, or salt.ADD GREENS
Place salad servers or tongs
in bowl over dressed veg-
etables. Place greens and
herbs over tongs, so they
are suspended above the
vegetables.TOSS
Just before serving, sprinkle
greens with a pinch of salt;
remove servers from bowl,
allowing greens and herbs to
fall into dressed vegetables.
Toss gently to thoroughly
coat the greens with dress-
ing without bruising or wilt-
ing. Serve immediately.