THE Salad

          I've realized many hip restaurants I’ve visited have their own interpretation of this one salad.  Some create it well, some create it terribly.  The successful version of this salad plays off of different acidities, bitterness, and sweets.  There are five main components.

 1) Some fancy lettuce, maybe a bitter arugula or a simple romaine

 2) Fresh, sweet fruit, like craisins, apples, pears, or strawberries

 3) Blue cheese (the most common), sometimes feta.

 4) Nuts.  My favorite is when they put candied pecans or candied walnuts.

 5) A simple, sweet vinaigrette

Here are some pictures I found off of google that are like the salad I'm talking about.

          Almost every time I order a salad at any restaurant, I pinpoint their variation of this just to try it and see how it compares to other restaurants’.  I love the balance of flavors between bitter and sweet that comes from every bite.  The bitter lettuce balances out the sweet fruit, the bitter sourness of the blue cheese is balanced by the sugary nuts, and then the vinaigrette ties everything together.  The trick to mastering this salad is fresh, quality ingredients, and well thought out proportions.  The lettuce has to be at the peak of freshness, or else it doesn’t hold it’s own weight as a component rather than a base.  The fruit has to be ripe, but not mushy or else it takes away from the freshness of the salad.  The blue cheese has to be good quality and strong, or else the salad is too sweet, like eating candy.  In my opinion the nuts really should be candied or sweetened, or else they don't hold their own weight as a flavor component rather than just a component.  The vinaigrette is important too.  It has to be sweet and sour, but it has to be subtle enough to let the other ingredients stand out.  It also has to be light and acidic, to keep the salad fresh and airy.  If done right, this salad can be my favorite aspect of the entire meal.  I have yet to find the best variation, but I look forward to letting you all know when I do. I also might try and duplicate it myself once I can get my hands on the ingredients.


Keep eatin'!
The Teenage Foodie