Balthazar Salad Recipes

BALTHAZAR SALAD

Steps:

• Roughly chop the lettuces and mix with fennel and radish.
• Blanch asparagus and haricots verts in boiling water until tender, 6 minutes. Transfer to ice bath, then drain.
• Add the asparagus and haricots verts to the greens. Separately, combine vinaigrette ingredients, shake and dress salad. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide the salad among 6 plates, topping each with a slice of ricotta salata, a wedge of avocado, some julienned beet and lemon zest. Finish with a pinch of breadcrumbs.

WARM SALAD OF GRILLED TROUT WITH SPINACH AND LENTILS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and mustard to form a glaze. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl and bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus until tender, 6 minutes. Drain and refresh them in the ice water to preserve their color. Drain again and set aside.
• Heat the lentils over a low flame and keep warm.
• Spray a grill or grill pan with nonstick spray and preheat until it's very hot (if using a grill pan, heat for at least 4 minutes). Dry the fillets and season the flesh sides with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, then brush both sides with the olive oil. Place the fish, skin side down, on the grill and cook for 4 minutes. Flip the fish and brush the skin side with the reserved honey-mustard glaze. Continue to cook for 2 minutes. Hold the cooked trout aside.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast for about 3 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent burning. Season the nuts with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vinegar has reduced to a thick syrup that coats the nuts. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir for an additional minute. Turn the flame down to low and add the asparagus.
• In a small saucepan, bring the remaining 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar to a boil. Cook for about 3 minutes, until it has reduced down to 2 tablespoons.
• Turn the flame off under the asparagus-walnut mixture and add the baby spinach along with a drizzle of the balsamic glaze. Gently toss to combine, and allow the heat of the pan to wilt the spinach.
• Plate the salad by creating a small bed of the spinach-asparagus mixture in the center of the plate, surrounded by 3 dollops of warm lentils. Place 2 trout fillets, skin side up, on top of the spinach mixture. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze.

PAN-ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES - BALTHAZAR

Steps:

• 1. Heat the olive oil in one or two large skillets. (Don't crowd the vegetables.) When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and sauté until the cloves just begin to color, about 3 minutes.
• 2. Add the diced vegetables, celery leaves and thyme, and turn heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables start to color around the edges. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 6 minutes more. Add a splash of water, white wine or chicken stock and cook another 5 to 6 minutes.
• 3. When the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized, add the butter and stir. Add the parsley and season aggressively with salt and pepper. Serves 4. Adapted from "The Balthazar Cookbook," by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson.

RIAD'S BEET AND MACHE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a sprig of thyme on top of each beet, season with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle each beet with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil. Wrap each individually in aluminum foil. Coat bottom of a small cast-iron skillet evenly with 1 cup salt. Place skillet in oven, and roast beets until tender enough to be pierced with a sharp knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow to cool, and peel skin off beets by rubbing with a paper towel.
• Quarter leeks lengthwise, without cutting through the root end. Tie leeks together in a bunch with kitchen string.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch haricots verts until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove haricots verts from pot with a strainer or slotted spoon, refresh in ice bath, and drain. Blanch leeks in same pot until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, and cool to room temperature. Cut leeks through the root end, to make eight quarters; set aside.
• Heat remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts; toast until fragrant. Season with salt.
• On individual plates, thinly slice 1 beet per plate with a mandoline. Season beets with salt and pepper. Arrange haricots verts and leeks on top of beets, then add mache. Drizzle vinaigrette over each salad. Place two slices of goat cheese on each salad plate, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Serve.