Butter Lettuce Salad
By Joanna Barajas
There’s nothing exciting about salad.
It’s an afterthought, especially at Christmas dinner. Most of the time it gets thrown out (R.I.P. Thanksgiving salad). I mean who eats salad when it’s sitting next to candied yams?
But I’m gonna dare you to change up tradition this year. A little change is good, isn’t it? And make a salad people will actually eat.
The salad I’m about to share with you has already been tested and approved by my family.
If you’re squeamish about the Bleu cheese, don’t worry I was, too. This is the only way I eat the stuff. It’s just a good combo of tangy and sweet.
I triple dog dare you to try it this Christmas!
Butter Lettuce salad with Bleu Cheese, Candied Pecans, and Cranberries
Ingredients:
Serves 2-3
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup candied pecans (see recipe below)
- ⅓ cup cranberries
- ⅓ cup bleu cheese
Honey-mustard dressing:
- 1 ½ tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp. Olive oil
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Honey
- 1 tbsp. Chopped chives or green onion
- Salt and pepper
In a bowl or jar, mix all dressing ingredients. Toss with all salad ingredients except candied pecans and cheese. Plate salad and top with cheese and pecans. Add extra chopped chives or green onions on top if you have them. Serve with simple grilled chicken breast for a hearty meal.
5-minute Stovetop Candied Pecans
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp. Ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. Water
1 cup pecan halves
(Optional) Toast and slightly cool pecans first. I like the flavor of using toasted pecans more than raw, but its not necessary.
Combine all the ingredients except the pecans in a skillet and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Add a 1 tbsp. water to get it going. Stand back to avoid and sugar from burning you. It’s important that the sugar really bubbles here in order to make that “crispy” texture of the pecan. Once it bubbles up vigorously add the pecans and stir in for a couple seconds.
Remove from heat immediately. Spread pecans out on parchment paper to cool completely. They will harden when cool.
Enjoy. These can be stored for 2 months in the freezer.
I hope you try this new recipe! Snap a picture and tag me @chefjoannas on instagram so I see how yours came out.
Chef Joanna is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and is a private chef for the stars. She also hosts pop up dinners and cooking classes inspired by her travels around the world. You can find more of her work at www.chefjoannas.com
For More Recipes Visit www.zapinin.com/food.