How to Make the Perfect Salad

There is in my opinion, nothing in home cooking that allows us to express ourselves better than a salad. It can be a canvas to our imagination just as an artist creates their picture. So can we create our salad? So versatile is a salad. It can be as simple as one or two ingredients (beet salad) or as complex as a chef salad. Our imagination is the only limit we have when it comes to creating one.

There are salads for holidays that us special items to commensurate what we are celebrating. Nothing says thanksgiving than cranberries for instance. There are salads to remind us of our heritage, seasonal like a good hearty hot German potato salad in the winter.

So whatever salad you create. Here are a few tips that I use. Of course, some of these are pretty well known, but there are worth repeating.

Always use fresh ingredients when possible
Wash fresh vegetables
Make sure lettuce leaves are dry
Tear lettuce
Use as many colors as you can
For a hint of garlic rub a clove in the bowl where you mix the salad
Make your own salad dressing if you can, ready-made dressings contain sugar
Put salad bowls in the freezer 15 minutes before serving
If you can put the salad in freezer 10 minutes prior to serving
Add dressing seconds before you start serving

Here are a few great salad dressing recipes I found on the internet to help you with that perfect salad

2 t2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 to 8 fresh or thawed frozen raspberries

6 tablespoons good-quality extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together the white-wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the raspberries and crush them to a rough puree with a spoon or your whisk. Whisk in the oil a little at a time until the dressing is creamy and blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

-- Martha Holmberg

Spicy Ginger-Lime-Garlic Vinaigrette

Makes about 1/2 cup

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger

1/ 2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1/ 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

1/8 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar

66 drops hot sauce, more to taste

1/4 cup grape seed oil or other neutral-flavored oil

Whisk together the ginger, lime zest, garlic, mustard, salt, sugar, lime juice, vinegar and hot sauce in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil a little at a time until it's creamy and blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings. -- Martha Holmberg

Makes about 1/2 cup

2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, then slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing is blended. Taste and adjust the balance of salt, pepper and acid.

Note: You can substitute a red-wine or white-wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar, and all or parts of the olive oil with walnut or hazelnut oil.

~Please enjoy~

A thoroughly enjoyable post ..I love the idea of salads especially in the summer and these dressing recipes looks simple and easy to do...awesome!!

Thanks. Should I add the address of my blog to each post or is that asking to much?

hi ALLEN. Good salad dressing recipes. Where did you get them. Can you please post the website.

i did a google search and could not find them.

thank you
Pat

never mind, i found a url.

http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/how-to/tips-for-making-a-perfect-salad.html