How to Make Salads & Salad Dressings

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Summer or winter, spring or fall, there is a salad for every time of year and every occasion. They range from simple tossed salads to elaborate creations of the newest, most innovative chefs. Considering the endless array of food products and techniques at our disposal, there is virtually no limit to their variety.

We are about to outline some various types of salads, ingredients, and dressings

Types of Salads...

There are several types of salads commonly used, even in the smallest establishments.

Appetizer Salads

These are served to whet the appetite of your guest while they await their main course. They should not be so large as to ruin their appetite for the rest of the meal. They must be flavorful, crisp and zesty to stimulate the palate and, of course, attractively garnished to also arouse visual appeal.

Accompaniment Salads

These are to be served along with the main course. They must be light, balance the dish and not be too rich. Attention must be paid to insure that no duplication of the other items in the main entree has occurred (e.g. potato salad served on the side with fries or mashed potato).

Main-course Salads

More commonly known as "cold plates", these must be large enough to constitute a full meal. They need to have a good balance of protein and vegetables to be nutritionally complete.

Intermediate Salads

A lot of finer establishments use a small salad after the rich, main course to cleanse the palate and provide a break before dessert. This is also common practice in formal banquet service. Simple greens with vinaigrette or fruit salads are normally used for this purpose.

Dessert Salads

Dessert salads are very sweet and contain items such as fruit, nuts, cream or gelatin. These are normally found in a buffet or party menu.

Basic Salad Ingredients...

The following list covers most of the common (and not so common) ingredients found in salads.

• Greens (various lettuces, endives, Chinese cabbage, spinach, arugula and radicchio
• Raw vegetables (tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, celery, bean sprouts...)
• Cooked or canned vegetables (beans, beets, pickled vegetables, beets, corn, olives, etc.)
• Starches (Dried beans, potatoes, small pasta, rice, croutons)
• Fruit, fresh, cooked, canned, frozen (apples, bananas, berries, grapes, citrus, mango, etc)
• Proteins (meats, poultry, fish & shellfish, luncheon meats, eggs, cheese, bacon, nuts, etc.)

Not so long ago, Iceberg lettuce used to be the most popular salad base, followed by romaine. Mesclun mix and other baby greens have begun to take centre stage these days, though, and of course, who doesn't love a baby spinach salad.

After picking your green of choice, your salad can be as original as you wish. Large stores are making it much easier to find the exotic ingredients that we see on TV and in our favorite cookbooks.

We are not limited to simply a green salad, of course. Any combination of ingredients can be used to create the most delicious dish. Potato, rice, pasta or any starch can be used as a salad base and combined with vegetables, proteins and a nice dressing to make a full meal in itself. These are normally served on a bed of greens to compliment, garnish and add depth to the salad.

Fruit salads are an excellent way to use the fresh products that summer brings us. Nothing is better than simple, fresh from the field, marinated fruit salad.

Salad Tips

Here are some useful tips for great salads...

• Use only the freshest of ingredients.
• Wash and dry greens well. Great dressings will be watered down if you don't.
• Keep everything bite-size. Salad should not be eaten with a knife and fork.
• Apply dressings at the last moment before serving.
• Marinating potatoes, green beans, mushrooms, etc. before mixing will increase flavor.
• Don’t overcook vegetables like carrots beans, etc... they should still be firm.
• Pastas must be cooked very al dente and cooled quickly when using in salads.
• Keep everything in proportion, not too much of any single product except the base item.
• Always serve well chilled.
• Season well, especially starch type salads. Bland potato salad is a common mistake.
• Keep it interesting and colorful. Garnish well!

Let's move on and look at some various dressings...

Dressings

Basic ingredients used in dressings are:

• Oils such as canola, vegetable, corn and olive oil.
• Vinegars like cider, white, rice, wine, balsamic and flavored varieties
• Lemon juice is also used to add tartness
• Egg yolks for holding mayonnaise-style dressings together
• seasoning & flavorings in thousands of combinations

The majority of salad dressings fall under three normal categories:

1. Vinaigrette, oil & vinegar dressings that are usually un-thickened
2. Mayonnaise-based, thickened dressings
3. Cooked, similar to mayonnaise, but more tart and normally low-fat

Traditional vinaigrette is very high in fat, usually 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil.

I personally prefer this method:

Use 1/3 oil (your choice), 1/3 vinegar (your choice), and 1/3 flavoring and seasoning ingredients. For flavoring and seasoning I usually use whatever fruit preserves I have available (raspberry or apricot jam, etc.) combined with some Dijon mustard, salt & pepper. Simple but very effective.

It is nearly as cheap to buy mayonnaise (real mayo, not whipped dressing) as it is to make your own. However, making your own is not hard with a food processor and you can adjust the taste to suit your fancy. Mayonnaise uses a process called "emulsifying" to hold the dressing from separating. This simply means using egg yolks to surround the oil and vinegar molecules. Like oil and water they do not mix.

Basic mayonnaise (yield 2 cups):

2 egg yolks (room temperature)
1 1/2 tbsp. Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Dry mustard
pinch cayenne pepper
1 3/4 cups oil
1 tbsp. Vinegar
3/4-1 tbsp. Lemon juice

In a food processor, beat egg yolks well. Add vinegar and beat well. Add dry ingredients and beat well.

With processor on low, drizzle oil very slowly into the bowl. After it begins to emulsify, you can go a little faster. As it thickens, thin it with a little vinegar. Continue, alternating between oil and vinegar. Adjust tartness with lemon juice.

Note: If mayonnaise breaks, it can be saved by beating an egg yolk and whipping the mayo into it.

Cooked dressings are thickened with flour and other starches instead of eggs, therefore being lower in fat. They have become more common-place than mayonnaise in today's health-conscious world.

Here is a simple recipe for cooked dressing. (Yield 2 cups)

3 tbsp. Sugar
2 tbsp. Flour
1/2 tbsp. Salt
1/2 tbsp. dry mustard
pinch cayenne pepper
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp. Butter
3 oz. Cider vinegar

Mix sugar, flour, salt, mustard and cayenne in a steel bowl. Add whole egg and yolk and beat until smooth.

In a saucepan on medium heat, bring milk to a simmer (do not scorch)

Gradually beat half the milk into the egg mixture, then stir the mixture into the rest of the milk in the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until no flour taste remains.

Remove from heat and stir in butter. When butter is melted and mixed in, stir in vinegar.

Transfer to a steel bowl, cover and cool.

This dressing, as with all dressings, are customizable to your own personal tastes. Make them as they are for the first time to become comfortable, then build upon that knowledge.

There you have it, a basic lesson in salads, ingredients and dressings. Remember to always use products that are in season for maximum freshness & flavor as well as to cut salad costs. After all, lettuce and tomatoes cost a lot more in January than they do in July :-)

Here are some recipes that use the principals of this lesson...

Simple & Light Fruit Vinaigrette Dressing

Serves 8 - 10

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup of any fruit jam (raspberry, strawberry, apricot, etc.)
1 tbsp. Whole grain or Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable or olive)

Method:

In a non-reactive bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the oil. Drizzle in the oil while whisking constantly to create an emulsion. This will not separate.

Greek-style Marinated Vegetable Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 red sweet pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 -1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 cup black or Kalamata olives, sliced
2 fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges

Method:

Put peppers, onions, cucumber and garlic in a medium-sized, non-reactive bowl.

Pour over these vinegar and oil, add oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally.

Serve as a salad with romaine lettuce, garnished with crumbled Feta cheese, olives and tomato wedges.

Chef's Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1/2 head of each Romaine and Iceberg lettuce, washed, dried and cut bite-sized
1/2 cup julienne cut carrots
1/2 cup julienne sweet peppers (red, green or combination)
1/4 cup julienne red onions
1/2 lb. lean, cooked turkey breast, julienne
1/2 lb. Black Forest ham, julienne
6-8 hard boiled eggs, sliced or cut into wedges
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

Dressing:

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable or olive)
1/2 cup less 1 tbsp. of apricot jam
1 tbsp. Whole grain or Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Method:

In a small, non-reactive bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Let stand a few minutes to blend flavors.

Assemble salads attractively on separate dinner plates or in large serving bowl.

Serve immediately with apricot vinaigrette.

Fresh Fruit Compote

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
1 mango (peeled, seeded and diced)
2 medium kiwi fruit (peeled, quartered and sliced)
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, etc.)
juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime
3/4 - 1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
few drops of coconut flavoring (or 2-3 tbsp. Coconut rum)

Method

Put all the fruit in a non-reactive bowl.

Squeeze the lemon and lime juice over all. Add sugar (to taste), salt and coconut flavoring.

Cover, refrigerate and let stand for a few hours.

Serve chilled with fresh cream, whipped cream or as a topping for other desserts.

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How to Make Salads & Salad Dressings

Simple & Light Fruit Vinaigrette Dressing

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