French vegetable salad for a special occassion

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Grande Vegetable Salad Composee

 

Recipe By :variation on a recipe by Chef Frederic Van

Coppernolle, French Culinary Institute

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : French Salads

Vegetarian

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

*for the cabbage Chiffonade:*

1 medium red cabbage

kosher salt

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

water ( room temperature )

*For the tomatoes:*

6 medium plum tomatoes -- peeled and quartered

Kosher salt

Bowl of ice or ice water

*For the cucumber*

1 large seedless cucumber -- peeled and halved.

Kosher salt

*For the carrots*

2 large carrots

* For the mushrooms*

8 whole button mushrooms

* For the Seasoning and Dressing*

1/4 cup fresh mint -- thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon -- chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh chives

*For the Basic Vinaigrette (For red

cabbage and tomatoes):*

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

* For the Mustard Vinaigrette ( for the

mushrooms )*

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

* For the Lemon Vinaigrette (For julienned

carrots) *

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

*For the Whipped Cream And Lime Dressing:

(For cucumbers): *

1 cup whipping cream

juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper to taste

 

Prepare the Red Cabbage Chiffonade:

The raw cabbage requires some coddling to make it as tender and

attractive as it can be. So in this preparation we, in effect, gently

and briefly cook the cabbage by pouring hot vinegar over it. The

slicing technique, called a chiffonade, simply refers to rolling the

leaves, several at a time, for easy, even slicing.

 

1. Quarter the cabbage and cut away the tough white core.

 

2. Take a few cabbage leaves at a time and roll them together neatly.

Slice the roll 1/4-inch thick, until you have roughly two cups of

sliced cabbage.

 

3. Place the cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle it with salt.

 

4. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil and pour it over

the salted cabbage. Add enough water to completely submerge the

cabbage and set aside for 10 or 15 minutes before draining and

dressing.

 

 

 

Prepare the Tomatoes

Tomatoes are at their most tender in salads when they've been peeled.

The technique uses boiling water to loosen the skin. Cut away the

core at the very end of the tomato and crisscross the other side to

give the water the ready access that will allow it to loosen the skin

in seconds. The trick is to avoid cooking them.

 

1. In a saucepan boil enough water to completely submerge the

tomatoes.

 

2. Cut away the hard bit of core at the end of the tomato and cut a

small crisscross shape into the skin at the other end (without

damaging the flesh).

 

3. Plunge the tomatoes into the water for about 10 seconds. When the

skin at the crisscross begins to curl it means the skin is loosening,

and at this point, remove the tomato. Place the tomatoes on ice or in

chilled water briefly to stop the cooking action.

 

4. With a paring knife or your fingers gently peel away the skin.

Quarter the tomatoes, sprinkle them with salt (which will remove some

excess moisture from the flesh) and set them aside.

 

 

Prepare the Cucumber

The large so-called seedless cucumbers were once exotic but are

widely available now. ``Seedless'' is a misnomer, by the way -- there

are seeds. They're just smaller than in other varieties, and we're

going to remove them.

 

1. Cut the cucumber into 4-inch sections and halve each section.Using

a small spoon, scoop out the seeds.

 

2. Slice the cucumber 1/4-inch thick There should be about two cups.

 

3. Place the slices in a strainer over a bowl. Salt the cucumber

liberally to remove the excess moisture. Set aside for 10 to 15

minutes.

 

Prepare the Carrots:

We want carrots that are thinly sliced but not shredded -- in other

words, a ``matchstick'' julienne. The easiest way to accomplish that

is with a device known as a mandoline, a kind of little slide with a

very sharp blade. But you can do it by hand, too, with a sturdy

chef's knife.

 

1. Peel the carrots. Cut then into 4-inch sections and halve each

section.

 

2. With a mandoline or knife, cut them into julienned strips about

the shape of a wooden matchstick. About two cups. Set aside.

 

 

Prepare the Mushrooms

In preparing mushrooms, remember not to wash them, which will create

sogginess. The trick is to simply wipe away any excess soil with a

paper towel or damp cloth towel.

 

1. Remove the stems and discard them.

 

2. Slice the mushrooms 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. There should be about

two cups.

 

 

Prepare the Basic Vinaigrette (For red cabbage and tomatoes):

 

1. Place the vinegar in a mixing bowl. Add the salt and pepper and

blend.

 

2. Slowly pour in the oil, whisking until it is thoroughly blended

and thickened into an emulsion.

 

 

Prepare the Mustard Vinaigrette ( for the mushrooms )

One of the most common additions to vinaigrettes is mustard. It

delivers a more complex flavor and creates a much thicker emulsion,

as it helps to bind the oil and vinegar.

 

1. In a mixing bowl, add the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend

well.

 

2. Slowly pour in the oil as you whisk, creating a thick emulsion,

something resembling a light mayonnaise.

 

 

Prepare the Lemon Vinaigrette (For julienned carrots)

 

Although the acid used in the following recipe is lemon juice, not

vinegar, it is still considered a " vinaigrette, " a loose term applied

to all dressings of this kind.

 

1. Place the lemon juice, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Blend

well.

 

2. Slowly whisk in the oil, creating a smooth emulsion.

 

 

 

Prepare the Whipped Cream And Lime Dressing: (For cucumbers):

When you choose cream as the designated fat, it needs to be beaten

until it thickens into a lightly whipped cream. Not only does this

add body to the dressing, but incorporating air helps resist curdling

when the acid is added.

 

1. With a whisk beat the cream until it is lightly whipped, and set

aside.

 

2. In a separate bowl, add the salt and pepper to the lime juice.

 

3. Add the lime juice to the whipped cream gradually, using a gentle,

rapid folding motion rather than beating (otherwise, the air -- and

the fluffiness -- will be lost). Place the dressing foundation in the

refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, until needed.

 

 

Apply the Seasoning and Dressing:

We're going to flavor the vinaigrettes with herbs--.that's done at

the end to preserve freshness. The easiest method for slicing the

mint is to roll the leaves and slice the rolls, as in the chiffonade

of cabbage. In each case, reserve any leftover sprigs for garnish at

the end.

 

l. Toss about half the basic vinaigrette mixture with the cabbage,

until well-coated. Set aside.

 

2. Add tarragon to the mustard vinaigrette and toss well with the

mushrooms until well-coated.

 

3. Add the mint to the chilled cream dressing and delicately fold in

the drained cucumber.

 

4. Add the lemon dressing and parsley to the carrots and toss until

thoroughly coated.

 

5. Add the drained tomatoes and chives to the remaining basic

vinaigrette and toss.

 

 

Arrange the vegetables on 6 individual plates in wedge like shapes (

like the spokes of a wheel ) Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with

fresh French bread

 

Source:

" NY Times Website "

 

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Per serving: 575 Calories (kcal); 58g Total Fat; (87% calories from

fat); 4g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 54mg Cholesterol; 100mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit;

11 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

 

NOTES : This is delicious and not as hard as the long recipe implies.

It takes some time but is well worth it, parts can be prepared ahead

and assembled just before a dinner or party. It is typical

of " Salad Composee " served in French Bistos. After all this

attention to detail, what you want to do is create a kind of painting

on each serving plate. The notion of a wheel is used , with each of

the vegetables placed as spokes radiating out from the center of a

round plate.

 

An attractive color scheme was used and included orange, white,

purple, beige, red: carrots, cucumber, cabbage, mushrooms, tomatoes.

Then for additional garnish, a few reserved sprigs of herbs to each

platter to each platter.

 

 

 

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0