[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/sexy-salads-and-sumptuous-settings\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/sexy-salads-and-sumptuous-settings\/","headline":"Sexy Salads and Sumptuous Settings","name":"Sexy Salads and Sumptuous Settings","description":"Sexy Salads and Sumptuous Settings Treat your wedding party to a luxurious garden party\u2014and decorate your table in style. By Patti Zielinski Photo: Sara Remington...","datePublished":"2011-04-04","dateModified":"2021-06-21","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/garden-party-book-mixt-salads.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/garden-party-book-mixt-salads.jpg","height":311,"width":254},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/sexy-salads-and-sumptuous-settings\/","about":["Receptions, Showers & Parties"],"wordCount":1840,"articleBody":"Sexy Salads and Sumptuous Settings Treat your wedding party to a luxurious garden party\u2014and decorate your table in style. By Patti ZielinskiPhoto: Sara Remington \u00a9 2010Purchase book online.In the midst of these heady months preceding your wedding, scheduling a simple, cultured gathering\u2014either for a bridal shower or a luncheon to show your gratitude to your wedding party\u2014can be a welcome respite. And what better evokes a sense of grace than a garden party? Equally Wed talked to Andrew Swallow, the founder of San Francisco\u2019s Mixt Greens chain, and Barbara Milo Ohrbach, author of Tabletops (Clarkson Potter), about creating a sophisticated but breezy affair that will give you a fine excuse to stop and savor the moment. \u201cMost people think of a salad as a chef salad with turkey and ham, a Caesar with chicken or a Cobb,\u201d says Swallow. \u201cI always loved salads and want people to know that they can make a meal out of it. I base my salads on entr\u00e9es I created, tweak the sauces to make vinaigrettes, and add greens.\u201d Swallow, who has worked at fine restaurants including Ajax Tavern in Aspen and Gary Danko in San Francisco, took this notion that salads can be sexy to the nation with his 2010 book, Mixt Salads (Ten Speed Press). Here are his cardinal rules for creating the most sensuous salads: Building Your Salad \u201cThe first thing you want to consider is timing the ingredients with the season,\u201d says Swallow whose manta is \u201ceat fresh, eat local.\u201d \u201cSecond, consider if you are serving a light lunch or an entr\u00e9e-dinner type of salad.\u201d Once you know these factors, you start building your salad on textures. \u201cYou want your salad to be well-composed,\u201d he says. \u201cAim for a combination of ingredients that are chewy, crunchy, soft and have snap.\u201d Selecting Your Greens The greens depend on your goal: How much you want to taste it and feel it in your mouth. \u201cIf you want a salad that is very soft, choose butter lettuce since it is delicate,\u201d he says. \u201cI love butter lettuce, but it\u2019s very delicate. You can spruce it up by putting some baby rocket in there to give it some punch.\u201d If you want a salad with a stronger green flavor, Swallow suggests you select rocket, arugula or spinach. \u201cRomaine is more of a texture\u2014it\u2019s one of my favorites,\u201d he says. \u201cIceberg is 100 percent water; it\u2019s all crunch, no flavor. I like iceberg when I\u2019m making an old classic from the 1950s wedge with bacon and blue cheese.\u201d Protein Power For an entr\u00e9e salad, select a protein\u2014and surprise your guests with selections like spring lamb or (hey, guys!) filet mignon. \u201cRaise the bar and be as creative as possible,\u201d he says. Andrew Swallow\u2019s Top 3 Salad Sins  Thou Shalt Not Premake the Salad. \u201cKeep vegetables and lettuce in separate containers,\u201d Swallow recommends. \u201cGrill the meat, slice it, and when it is done, dress the salad and top it with the steak. If you dress the salads too early, vegetables can bleed into each other. You want to make sure that you have them in separate containers.\u201d Thou Shalt Not Overdress. \u201cYou want to just coat the lettuce,\u201d Swallow says. Thou Shalt Not Abuse the Greens. \u201cDon\u2019t shred and pull the lettuce until the last second. The minute you cut the lettuce, it starts to decay\u2014it\u2019s dying,\u201d he says. \u201cWhile the leaves are whole they are not breaking down yet.\u201d Other abuses: cutting greens too small, bruising them, and overwashing them. \u201cPeople don\u2019t dry their lettuce well enough,\u201d Swallow says. \u201cThe worst thing in the world is having a salad with water on the lettuce. It just dilutes the flavor. Pat dry the lettuce or put it in a salad spinner.\u201d Setting Your Table When deciding upon your tabletop design, advises Barbara Milo Ohrbach, consider the menu first. \u201cIt\u2019s all about the food,\u201d she says. \u201cThe design should enhance it.\u201d When Ohrbach entertains outside she ties the table elements together with shades of green. \u201cIt looks very fresh because it enables you to use white, like white Victorian table linens and napkins\u2014a neutral palette to lay other things on,\u201d she says. She recommends attending yard sales and estate sales, where you can pick up wonderful old linens. To set the table, Ohrbach uses white or cream china with green accents or green china with white accessories. \u201cThe green anchors it,\u201d she explains. \u201cNapkin rings give you an opportunity to put something around your napkin and tuck your place card there,\u201d she says. \u201cPlace cards are important at luncheons. Knowing who sits next to whom makes for a more successful party.\u201d She suggests placing ivy, a piece of fern, or a flower, such as a daisy, into the napkin, then threading a string through the napkin and tying the place card onto it. Let your centerpiece echo the green theme. A novel idea is taking a bunch of asparagus and tying them together with a beautiful ribbon. \u201cI love using vegetables as centerpieces instead of flowers,\u201d Ohrbach says. \u201cOutside, there are usually already so many flowers around that the vegetables really stand out. Things like broccoli are very unexpected.\u201d She suggests laying rhubarb leaves or cabbage\u2014\u201canything with an interesting leaf\u201d\u2014flat on the table and set a clear glass plate over them. \u201cGreens vary: from gray-green to bright-green to yellow-green to dark green\u2014they are all quite beautiful.\u201d Sexy Salads by Andrew SwallowBERRY Blackberries and strawberries with goat cheese Serves 4  \u201cA good balsamic and ripe berries taste really good together. This salad is a wonderful marriage of the sweetness of the strawberries and blackberries, the syrupy tartness of the balsamic, the creaminess of goat cheese, and the texture of pecans.\u201d INGREDIENTS Candied Pecans 2 cups pecans 2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp salt 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground cayenne 1 tbsp water Dressing \u00bd cup balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp minced shallot 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves 1 tsp honey 1 cup canola oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 oz mixed greens 1 pint blackberries 1 pint strawberries, sliced 2 tsp chiffonade of mint 2 tsp chiffonade of basil 4 tbsp goat cheese Salt and freshly ground black pepper INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, toss together the pecans, sugar, salt, cumin, cayenne and 1 tbsp water. Spread this mixture on a sheet tray and bake for 20 minutes. To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, shallot, mustard, thyme and honey in a blender. Slowly add the oil in a stream and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. To plate each serving, gently toss together 2 oz mixed greens, 2 oz each blackberries and strawberries, \u00bd tsp mint, \u00bd tsp basil, 1 tbsp goat cheese and 1 oz of the candied pecans with 2 tbsp of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.MR. BEAN Spring lamb with grilled baby artichokes Serves 4  \u201cThe delicate flavor of spring lamb pairs perfectly with lightly earthy, spring Mediterranean vegetables. I added flageolet beans to round off the salad with a little nutty flavor. As it can be a challenge to find spring lamb, get on over to your best butcher for his help with sourcing.\u201dPhoto: Sara Remington \u00a9 2010INGREDIENTS Beans 1 lb dried flageolet beans \u00bd lemon \u00bd cup chopped fresh garlic 10 sprigs thyme 2 tsp kosher salt Lamb \u00bc cup extra virgin olive oil 2 sprigs rosemary, chopped 2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic 8 spring lamb tenderloins Tapenade \u00bd cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp chopped spring garlic \u00bc cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives Salt and freshly ground pepper Salad 1 red bell pepper 8 baby artichokes Extra virgin olive oil 2 oz fris\u00e9e Salt and freshly ground pepper INSTRUCTIONS To make the beans, soak the dried beans in water to cover for 4 hours. Drain. In a large saucepan, combine 8 cups water with the beans, the lemon half, garlic, thyme and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, or until al dente. To prepare the lamb, combine the olive oil, rosemary, and garlic in a shallow dish; add the lamb tenderloins, and marinate for 3 to 6 hours, depending on how much time you have and how much favor you want the meat to absorb. To make the tapenade, combine the olive oil, spring garlic and olives in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. To make the salad, over an open flame, roast the bell pepper until all sides are properly charred, but not completely burnt. Place the pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. (This will steam the pepper, making it easier to remove the skin.) Remove the skin and seeds from the pepper, then julienne and set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil on the stove. Peel off the outer artichoke leaves until you reach a layer where they are almost yellow. Blanch the artichokes for 7 minutes, then let them cool down a bit before cutting each one in half. Coat them with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.BACHELOR Serves 4\u201cYou got it, here\u2019s what every guy wants to eat all the time: meat and potatoes.\u201dPhoto: Sara Remington \u00a9 2010INGREDIENTS: Filet mignon with Roquefort and red leaf 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, diced 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 sprigs rosemary 4 sprigs thyme Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Dressing 1\/2 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp chopped fresh garlic 1 tsp sliced shallot 1 tsp honey 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves 1 tsp sugar 1 cup canola oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp canola oil 2 large yellow onions, chopped 4 (6-oz) prime filets mignons 2 heads red leaf lettuce, leaves separated 2 large Early Girl tomatoes, quartered and sliced 1\/2 lb Roquefort blue cheese INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Preheat the grill to high. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with the extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, mustard, garlic, shallot, honey, thyme and sugar in a blender. Slowly add the canola oil in a stream and blend to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat the 1 tbsp canola oil in a saut\u00e9 pan over medium heat. Saut\u00e9 the onions for 10 to 12 minutes, until the natural sugars caramelize. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Turn down the grill to medium-high. Grill the steaks for about 7 minutes per side, until medium-rare. Remove the steaks from the grill and let them rest for about 3 minutes before slicing into 1-inch cubes. To plate each serving (or for all ingredients if serving on a platter, family style), toss 3 ounces red leaf, slices from half a tomato, 2 tbsp blue cheese, 1\/2 cup potatoes and 3 tablespoons onions with 2 tbsp of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and top with the cubes from one steak.Photos: Reprinted with permission from Mixt Salads: A Chef\u2019s Bold Creations by Andrew Swallow with Ann Volkwein, copyright 2010. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Sexy Salads and Sumptuous Settings","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/sexy-salads-and-sumptuous-settings\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]