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omnomnomOne of my friends is getting married in a few weeks in his hometown, and threw a potluck picnic today for those of us who can't travel to be there in person. I asked him if he had any particular requests, and he asked for "that salad you made at your birthday party last year, with the vinaigrette?" So this is the salad.
These are most of the ingredients: fresh spring onions, radishes, salad greens with edible flowers, goat cheese, spicy pistachios. Not pictured: other salad greens, olive oil & balsamic vinegar.
It's got three parts:
Part 1: Lettuce (and any other produce you want). This time, I used about half-a-pound of small mixed salad greens, all local. This included a box of greens with edible flowers, because, hey, it was a wedding, it should look fancy. I also added about half a cup of thinly sliced radishes, because they were local and beautiful at the food coop.
Part 2: Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese Balls.
Goat cheese from Monterrey, MA, and Spicy Pistachios.
This could work with any soft goat cheese, or another softish cheese could mixed with cream cheese to get the right consistency. The technique is to let the cheese come to roughly room temperature. While that's happening, use a knife or some sort of crushing device to crush up the pistachios. You could obviously use plain pistachios, or any nut; I just like these. (Actually, I used them the first time because I had a bag that were about to go off. But I do like these.) You can see them chopped up in the takeout container lid beneath the bag of pistachios. When the cheese is soft, scoop out cheese in small amounts, and roll into balls the size of large marbles--maybe about a centimeter in diameter, or a bit bigger? Then roll them in the pistachios, and place them on a plate. Refrigerate them, especially if it's summer. These are best made the night before, and need to have enough time to firm up again before eating.
Here they are made:
XTREME CLOSE UP!
These could absolutely be served on their own as an appetizeror be eaten directly out of the fridge at three am.
Part 3: Onion Vinaigrette. The Stone Soup Cookbook posted a few posts back includes a recipe for a vinaigrette like this one, but it's just one that I fumbled onto on my own. Cut up a bunch of onions into either fine slices or a dice, depending on how big and old they are. Put in a pan with a lot of olive oil (enough to basically coat all the onions and have a visible layer in the pan. Salt heavily, and cook on low heat. I do this in a big cast iron frying pan. Cook until the onions are all soft and melted, and maybe a few are just starting to turn brown. Let cool, add a shot of mustard, and mix with balsamic vinegar until it is appropriately sour. (I like my vinaigrette closer to a 1:1 mix than most folks.) This should also cool, preferably overnight, but at least a few hours.
I forgot to take photos of this stage, but hopefully it's clear.
I also forgot to take pictures of the final product, but basically you just assemble it like a salad: lettuce on the bottom, cheese balls on the top, pour dressing over it. Devour.
The happy couple are about to leave New York and take up itinerant residence in multiple other countries (it's very exciting being an academic), which means they asked for no gifts, but I couldn't resist, so I bought them some chocolate, which I figure they can snarf on the plane to their wedding destination.
The bar on the right and on the top are both Brooklyn-made, by Mast Brothers and Tumbador. I've eaten some of the Tumbador chocolates (I vegetarian-cheated to eat some chocolate-covered marshmallows, because I am a cheating cheater who cheats), but not the Mast Brothers, because, no lie, their chocolate bars cost A MILLION FUCKING DOLLARS. At the co-op, I paid nearly US$6 for a SINGLE BAR OF CHOCOLATE. Online, they'll sell you a ten pack for US$92. (OK, that includes shipping, BUT STILL.) But, um, I hear from people with more disposable income than me that it is exceptional chocolate. The other two are by Chocolove, which is my go-to brand for high quality snackin' chocolate. I don't think it's Serious Business chocolate, but I like the raspberry, orange peel, cherry/almond, and cherry/chipotle flavors a lot.
 |
| From omnomnom |
These are most of the ingredients: fresh spring onions, radishes, salad greens with edible flowers, goat cheese, spicy pistachios. Not pictured: other salad greens, olive oil & balsamic vinegar.
It's got three parts:
Part 1: Lettuce (and any other produce you want). This time, I used about half-a-pound of small mixed salad greens, all local. This included a box of greens with edible flowers, because, hey, it was a wedding, it should look fancy. I also added about half a cup of thinly sliced radishes, because they were local and beautiful at the food coop.
Part 2: Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese Balls.
 |
| From omnomnom |
Goat cheese from Monterrey, MA, and Spicy Pistachios.
This could work with any soft goat cheese, or another softish cheese could mixed with cream cheese to get the right consistency. The technique is to let the cheese come to roughly room temperature. While that's happening, use a knife or some sort of crushing device to crush up the pistachios. You could obviously use plain pistachios, or any nut; I just like these. (Actually, I used them the first time because I had a bag that were about to go off. But I do like these.) You can see them chopped up in the takeout container lid beneath the bag of pistachios. When the cheese is soft, scoop out cheese in small amounts, and roll into balls the size of large marbles--maybe about a centimeter in diameter, or a bit bigger? Then roll them in the pistachios, and place them on a plate. Refrigerate them, especially if it's summer. These are best made the night before, and need to have enough time to firm up again before eating.
Here they are made:
 |
| From omnomnom |
XTREME CLOSE UP!
 |
| From omnomnom |
These could absolutely be served on their own as an appetizer
Part 3: Onion Vinaigrette. The Stone Soup Cookbook posted a few posts back includes a recipe for a vinaigrette like this one, but it's just one that I fumbled onto on my own. Cut up a bunch of onions into either fine slices or a dice, depending on how big and old they are. Put in a pan with a lot of olive oil (enough to basically coat all the onions and have a visible layer in the pan. Salt heavily, and cook on low heat. I do this in a big cast iron frying pan. Cook until the onions are all soft and melted, and maybe a few are just starting to turn brown. Let cool, add a shot of mustard, and mix with balsamic vinegar until it is appropriately sour. (I like my vinaigrette closer to a 1:1 mix than most folks.) This should also cool, preferably overnight, but at least a few hours.
I forgot to take photos of this stage, but hopefully it's clear.
I also forgot to take pictures of the final product, but basically you just assemble it like a salad: lettuce on the bottom, cheese balls on the top, pour dressing over it. Devour.
The happy couple are about to leave New York and take up itinerant residence in multiple other countries (it's very exciting being an academic), which means they asked for no gifts, but I couldn't resist, so I bought them some chocolate, which I figure they can snarf on the plane to their wedding destination.
 |
| From omnomnom |
The bar on the right and on the top are both Brooklyn-made, by Mast Brothers and Tumbador. I've eaten some of the Tumbador chocolates (I vegetarian-cheated to eat some chocolate-covered marshmallows, because I am a cheating cheater who cheats), but not the Mast Brothers, because, no lie, their chocolate bars cost A MILLION FUCKING DOLLARS. At the co-op, I paid nearly US$6 for a SINGLE BAR OF CHOCOLATE. Online, they'll sell you a ten pack for US$92. (OK, that includes shipping, BUT STILL.) But, um, I hear from people with more disposable income than me that it is exceptional chocolate. The other two are by Chocolove, which is my go-to brand for high quality snackin' chocolate. I don't think it's Serious Business chocolate, but I like the raspberry, orange peel, cherry/almond, and cherry/chipotle flavors a lot.
no subject
on 2010-06-26 11:15 pm (UTC)Thank you for sharing the recipes!
no subject
on 2010-06-27 12:19 am (UTC)I cannot even admit how hard it was to leave a whole plate of those cheese balls in my fridge overnight. NO ONE WILL MISS JUST
ONETWOIF I DON'T BRING ANYTHING TO THE PICNIC.no subject
on 2010-06-27 01:05 am (UTC)And ahahahah, I can imagine!
no subject
on 2010-06-27 03:52 am (UTC)no subject
on 2010-06-27 02:32 pm (UTC)