A Favorite Salad
What makes a meal memorable? Sometimes it is an unexpected combination of the ingredients, and other times it is the company or the setting that ignite our senses in a way that leaves a lasting impression. Can a simple salad be one of those memorable meals? Totally. I first made this salad a couple of years ago for a small dinner party I hosted around my birthday. Looking back at that day, I can certainly say it was one of the more memorable meals in my life, and the salad with burrata cheese, tangerines, shallots, and watercress was the unrivaled star of the show. I’ve made it many time since then, and so did a few other guests. It has made many an appearance at potlucks. On this very blog it was discovered by strangers who have since become dear friends. On a personal level, it gave me confidence to launch a cookbook club, Cookbook-ish (now in its second year), for which this particular meal was a test run. It also helped me keep one of my perennial New Year’s resolutions: to spend more time in the kitchen, try new recipes and techniques, and invite friends over for dinner more often.
The recipe for the salad and the entire meal came from Alison Roman’s book DINING IN. Seeing all the gorgeous winter citrus at the farmer’s market this morning and remembering this birthday dinner made me share this recipe with you again. I hope you give it a go. Who knows–maybe it will move the mountains, or at the very least create a memorable meal for you as well.
Above: I painted our dinner menus by hand with watercolor ink and used a sprig of wax flower to pin down the sides of the menus. With each guest’s name on the outside, the manes doubled as place cards. Linen napkins in Heather Gray complement the neutral table setting.
Burrata with Tangerines, Shallots, and Watercress,
Alison Roman, DINING IN
Ingredients:
1 shallot, thinly sliced into rings
1 table spoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 8oz ball burrata
3 tangerines, peeled and sliced 1/2" thick
3 cups small spicy greens (watercress, mizuna, arugula)
Olive oil
Flaky sea salt
Preparation:
1. Toss the shallots with lemon juice in small bowl and season with kosher salt and pepper
2. Tear, slice, or cut burrata into pieces and arrange them on the serving platter.
3. Scatter the tangerine slices around burrata
4. Combine the shallots and spicy greens, and season with salt and pepper. Toss and scatter around the burrata mixture.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
About Cookbook-ish:
Cookbook-ish is a book club and a community of like-minded foodies and creative people in my hometown. I curate the book selection and ask everyone to choose 2-3 recipes they'd like to make. I then come up with a cohesive menu based on everyone's selections. We cook at home and bring our respective dishes to share in a potluck-style meal. Not in Santa Barbara? You can still participate by following @foldsantabarbara on Instagram, cooking and tagging your posts with #cookbookish_sb.
FROM THE SHOP: