Salad of Bitter Greens, Fennel, Almonds & Blue Cheese with Quince Dressing
I’m told I make a mean salad. When I throw dinner parties I’m frequently asked for the salad recipe despite the fact that I serve it along with other more elaborate dishes. With a few choice ingredients, some textural complexity and a vibrant dressing, the salad can be as memorable as any other part of a meal—or even more so, apparently.
I’d be happy to share my salad recipes except that I’ve never used one or made the same salad twice, for that matter. (Worse yet, I probably couldn’t remember what I put in a salad two weeks ago.) Now that I’m putting it out there on this blog, I’m on a mission to turn this lack of accountability around. So, armed with a pen in one hand and a salad spinner in the other—let the documentation begin!
Even though I haven’t followed recipes, I have always thought seriously about what goes into my salads. A really good salad calls for an equal measure of creativity and restraint plus some focus. I like to combine ingredients that relate to each other in some way. For instance, it’s no surprise that quince paste, blue cheese and almonds end up tossed together in the same salad bowl in this recipe since they are often served together on cheese platters and complement each other so well.
I almost always make my own blend of greens especially if we have guests. I have nothing against mesclun mixes from the supermarket—I use them for throwing together quick lunches— but they have become quite ordinary in taste and complexity. Have you ever noticed how tasty a mix of mesclun greens from a local farmers market is compared to the mass-produced variety? Trust me on this—you will be well rewarded for the little extra effort it takes to make your own mix of greens.
For this salad your own mix of bitter greens is combined with sweet anise-flavored fennel, nutty toasted almonds and some pungent blue cheese. The thread that weaves all the flavors together is a mildly sweet dressing made with deliciously floral-flavored quince paste, sherry vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. This salad has all the right elements—taste, texture, complexity and it looks pretty too (if I say so myself).
Oh, did I hear you say you needed a salad recipe?
Feel free to come up with your own combination of greens. Baby arugula, frisee, mache and escarole are all good options. You will need about 10 cups of mixed greens. Table salt will wilt your greens so be sure to use kosher salt when seasoning.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons membrillo or quince paste
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 bunches of cress, trimmed
- 1 endive, thinly sliced
- ½ large head radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ large fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- Combine vinegar, shallots and quince paste in small saucepan. Set over medium-low heat and cook stirring often until paste melts, 2 minutes. Transfer quince mixture to serving bowl, whisk in olive oil and set aside to cool for a couple of minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Toss greens and fennel in bowl with dressing. Adjust seasoning. Top salad with toasted almonds and cheese and serve immediately.
I’ve scoured some of my favorite food blogs and compiled a short list of tasty looking recipes that would be great to serve with this salad. It pairs well with a roast or braise or even a bowl of soup with Italian, Spanish or Moroccan flavors. Here are some suggestions for main dishes (including one of my own) and a dessert that seems just perfect:
Roasted Chicken with Pancetta, Rosemary & Garlic
Hi Eva,
Made a version of this for first night seder. Loved all the different flavors and textures. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hey Eva: Made this tonight for a dinner having to make a few tweaks here and there for what I had and didn’t have but it was a big hit. I had to improvise on the amount of mustard to add to the dressing bc it wasn’t in the ingredients list.
Maria – Thanks for pointing that out. I’ll make the fix. Glad you enjoyed.
This looks awesome. I love to have a nut, fruit, and cheese element to a salad. My son, M, is a bottomless pit for a good, creative salad. (Hubs, R, is learning.) I hope to make this soon. Thanks for the pairings, too!