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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

A twist on a classic salad

There are some salads that are classics: they are always delicious, but rarely surprise. On Sunday my husband and I were invited over to have dinner at our friends' house. Since she quit smoking five months ago, Berit has taken up cooking, and with impressive results. Dinner was delightful. They started us off with a bruschetta appetizer similar to my bruschetta essenziale. Our main course was a delightful pasta with meat sauce. Berit insisted that it had too much garlic (she was wrong, it was perfect). Dessert was chocolate lava cake with raspberry sauce. Divine all around. But what will really stick with me was the salad.

They served a fairly classic salad. It was spring greens with candied walnuts (baked in brown sugar) and crumbled goat cheese dressed in raspberry vinaigrette. But there was something addicting and unusual about it, and it took me a while to put my finger on it. Berit had added just enough fresh cilantro to brighten the taste of the otherwise sweet salad and intrigue the palate. Another fresh herb, such as oregano, might have gotten lost in the sweetness of the salad. Fresh basil would not have been harmonious. Fresh dill would have been too bitter. But the fresh cilantro added a brightness that was the perfect note to compliment this deservedly classic salad. It was a fabulous innovation that I will be copying the next time I serve this salad!

2 comments:

Gabster said...

What an intriguing idea-- to add cilantro (a traditional herb widely used in mexican,asian, and caribbean cooking)... to such a classic salad.. I would have never thought to add this--- I must try this in my next salad. Thanks for the tip!

Erin said...

Glad you like the idea. I was surprised (pleasantly) myself at how perfectly it worked. Of course with cilantro you have to be moderate or it can overtake the flavors, but in balance it is delightful.

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