Courtesy The Gourmet Review

Fresh and healthy, this recipe will inspire a visit to your local farmer’s market. Chef Guillaume, from the Portola Kitchen just outside of San Francisco,  calls this his Spring Vegetable Salad with Burrata Cheese Crostini Salad.

This salad is so much more than your traditional green salad! Fresh asparagus, shucked English peas, shucked lava beans, radish and lots of fresh herbs with a light lemon vinaigrette make this a beautiful as well as healthy salad.

SERVES: 1 large salad

INGREDIENTS

1 bag mixed greens

1 head romaine chopped use only inner leaves

1 bunch asparagus cut into 2″ long pieces and blanched

2 lbs English peas, shucked and blanched

2 lbs fava beans, shucked, blanched and peeled

4 radishes thinly sliced

3 sprigs tarragon minced

1 bunch chives minced

Handful of parsley minced

SALAD PREPARATION

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Season with creamy lemon vinaigrette to lightly coat. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pile on a plate.

Top with Burrata Cheese Crostini.

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

INGREDIENTS

3 Meyer (if available) lemons

2 tablespoons water

1 fresh egg yolk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 bunch Italian parsley, leaves picked from stem

3 – 4 radishes, trimmed and sliced thinly

PREPARATION

Peel strips of zest from one of the lemons with a vegetable peeler.

Place the zest with a couple of inches of water in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil. drain the water, then replace the water with fresh, cold water. Repeat the entire process three times – don’t cheat! Blanching the zest three times removes any traces of bitterness and guarantees a softer, more floral vinaigrette.

Juice the lemons for a total of 1/4 cup.

In a jar or blender, combine the juice with the blanched zest, the water, egg yolk, mustard and a pinch of salt.

Pulse to chop the ingredients. Then add both oils in a slow, steady stream.

Strain the vinaigrette to remove any large pieces of zest. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of dressing.

BURRATA CHEESE CROSTINI

INGREDIENTS

One slice baguette

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup fresh parsley

Buffala Cheese

PREPARATION

Prepare Parsley Oil, by combining Extra Virgin Olive Oil and parsley in a blender and pulse.

Brush one side of sliced baguette or french bread with Parsley Oil.

Place sliced baguette on grill or grill pan, first grilling side with Parsley Oil, and lightly grill on both sides.

Top with spoonful of buffalo cheese.

Drizzle with parsley oil.

This is a wonderful secret restaurant recipe!

– The Gourmet Review

 NOTE

Executive Chef Guillaume has created a rustic, Italian California cuisine menu at the Portola Kitchen. The restaurant is moderately priced and the atmosphere for lunch is casual. This is the perfect stop on your way to wineries in Santa Cruz, and is located in California’s Portola Valley.

We sat at an outdoor table overlooking a miniature farmer’s market of fresh fruits and vegetables. A big thank you to Chef for sharing his recipe on a very busy day.

Chef also shared his adaptation of the fabulous Lemon Vinaegrette recipe from Ethan Stowell’s “New Italian Kitchen” cookbook.