Green and White Salad
I usually spend the fall in France, but not this year. Sigh. There are things that speak France to me. One of those things is fresh, crunchy, and reasonably priced Belgian endive. I don’t buy endive often in the US because it can be expensive and discolored. But when you see nice white and green endive, buy it to make my version of an endive and blue cheese salad. Once you try it you will always be searching for Belgian endive in the shops. This salad serves 4 generously.
4 ounces Maytag blue cheese, crumbled, divided (about 1 scant cup)
2 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
water to thin the dressing
5 heads Belgian Endive cut in half lengthwise and into 1-inch slices
2-3 tender stalks of celery (with leaves if possible) cut into 1/4-inch slices on the horizontal
1/3 pound cauliflower florets cut into bite size pieces
2 Bartlett pear, quartered lengthwise, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (with skin unless it is very blemished)
2-3 scallions (green onions), washed and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup julienned basil, loosely packed
juice of half a lemon
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Fill a pot big enough to bring the cauliflower to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Once the water is boiling, add the cauliflower and blanch it for 2 minutes (no more). Drain and immediately rinse with very cold water until the cauliflower is not warm to the touch. The rinse is the key to blanching. It stops the cooking process. Drain the cauliflower and set it aside to let it come to room temperature: about 10 minutes.
Puree 1/2 cup cheese and vinegar in blender until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the oil. Season your dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the dressing to a bowl. Whisk water into the dressing a teaspoon at a time until it reaches a consistency that is creamy and dizzelable (about 3 to 4 teaspoons of water, added one at a time). This dressing is so good and serves as a wonderful vegetable dip in the thicker form.
Prepare the endive, pear, celery, basil, and the scallions as directed in the ingredient list. Place the prepared veggies and pear in a salad bowl with the cauliflower. Toss the ingredients together with the juice of half a lemon, which will prevent edges from browning on the endive and pear. Just before serving, toss the salad with a a pinch of kosher or flakey salt and a few grinds of fresh ground pepper. Drizzle half the dressing over the salad and toss to distribute. Taste the salad and add more to dressing to taste. Serve immediately.