Composed Salads Allow Guests To Make The Meal They Want

My favorite summer dinner for guests is a composed salad. It’s served in a large open bowl on a bed of greens and herbs, topped with a variety of blanched, raw, grilled, roasted or boiled new potatoes with garden vegetables. Next, add selection of protein: grilled salmon, shrimp, curry chicken, rolled turkey breast, baked ham, hard cooked egg, cheese, tuna or sliced steak. After the guests have served themselves this masterpiece, pass mustard vinaigrette and/or creamy garlic dressing to drizzle over the whole affair. Add hot crusty bread and pour glasses of chilled rosé or Sauvignon Blanc.

A composed salad is a triple-winner because: First, all the work is done early in the day or the day before, thus the kitchen is cool and the cook relaxed. Second, if one is too busy to cook, buy everything prepared and simply arrange it on top of the greens. Last, but not least, having the guests pick and choose their favorite foods means they are fully invested in enjoying their meal!

For dessert, present a cheese board garnished with stemmed cherries, berries, grapes, plums, peaches, or apricots and pass a plate of homemade cookies. Or buy a beautiful fruit tart and top it with ice cream. Bon summer appétit!

Composed Salad(Serves 6)About 7 cups of assorted salad greens, chiffonade of Romaine or torn leaf lettuce, baby spinach, and baby arugula

1 cup torn fresh herb leaves, green or/and purple basil, flat leaf parsley, spearmint, lemon thyme, dill, and tarragon

5 to 6 varieties fresh vegetables, about 1 1/2 cups each

Raw: cucumbers, thinly sliced red onion, shredded carrots, red, yellow, orange bell pepper strips, endive, sliced baby zucchini, cherry tomatoes

Roasted or baked: small beets, red, Yukon gold, white, or/and purple new-potatoes, Japanese eggplant slices

Blanched: Haricot vert, green beans, sugar or snow peas, petit pois, broccoli florets, asparagus, boiled new potatoes

Grilled: corn kernels (cut off the cob) yellow squash or zucchini

3 to 4 varieties of protein: seared or grilled salmon, shrimp, sliced steak or chicken breast, turkey, ham, salami, chopped, hard cooked egg, chicken salad, flaked tuna, cubed cheese, crumbled baconTo prepare:Mix the greens and herbs together and add to a large wide bowl.

Artfully arrange vegetables and protein over the greens and serve.

Pass the dressings at the table.For Creamy Garlic dressing:3 large cloves garlic, minced and sautéed in oil until soft

1 teaspoon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oilTo prepare:Place ingredients in a food processor or mini chop and purée until smooth.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Store in refrigerator.Garlic And Ginger Grilled Salmon(Serves 4 for main course, or 6 for composed salad)4, 6-ounce pieces salmon tails, without skin

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 slices fresh ginger, about 1/2-inch thick, finely chopped

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

About 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh lemon balm

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 lemons, freshly squeezed

Splash of dry vermouth

1 lemon cut into wedges for garnishTo prepare:Rinse salmon tails and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a non-reactive shallow bowl.

Chop garlic and ginger together with a pinch or two of salt until finely minced. Add black pepper and paprika and mix well. Sprinkle mixture over the salmon, drizzle with lemon juice, oil, and vermouth. Sprinkle with herbs and marinate about 20 minutes. If longer, refrigerate.To cook: Preheat grill or grill pan over high heat. Coat grid or pan with oil. Place salmon on grid, cook until grill marks appear and edges are light brown, about two minutes. Turn and cook until fish feels firm to the touch, about two minutes or done according to personal preference. (Salmon tails are thin, thus cooking time is less than center cut salmon.) Do not overcook. If using grill pan, drizzle a few drops of oil on salmon while in the pan. Or transfer cooked salmon to a plate, drizzle with oil and juice, and reserve.

Cut into bite sized pieces before assembling salad.Grilled Shrimp(Serves 6 for composed salad)12 to 18 large raw shrimp with tails intact, deveined and rinsed

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 slices fresh ginger, about 1/2-inch thick, finely chopped

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

About 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

About 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Splash sesame oil, optionalTo prepare:Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and place in a non-reactive bowl.

Chop garlic, ginger, salt and pepper together until minced. Scatter over shrimp, add lime juice, olive and sesame oil, toss well and marinate 20 minutes.

Heat the grill or grill pan until hot. Add shrimp and cook until opaque on the inside, pink and slightly curled on the outside. Transfer to a plate and reserve. Cut large shrimp in half.For roasted eggplant:4 Japanese purple eggplants, washed, stemmed, cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil and Balsamic vinegar for drizzlingPreheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In bowl, add eggplant, salt and pepper and olive oil, and toss to coat. Arrange slices on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, drizzle with vinegar and bake until tender and browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.For roasted beets:About 6 to 8 small beets, scrubbed and tops removed.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wrap beets in aluminum foil and seal. Set the package on a baking sheet and roast until beets are tender to the point of a knife, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a plate, let cool, with gloved hands, slip skins off beets, slice, slices, and reserve.For roasted vegetables (or grilled):About 1 1/2 cups of each garden vegetable, cut into bite-sized pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Assorted fresh herbs, chopped for sprinklingToss vegetables together in a bowl, arrange in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheets, and roast in 400 degrees F preheated oven until the vegetables are tender and light brown. Transfer to a side dish and reserve.For blanched vegetables:About 1/2 pound fresh green beans, sugar snap or snow peas, 1 small head broccoli florets, 1 bunch asparagus spears, or/and 1 cup extra fancy petit poisIn a large pot of boiling salted water, drop the vegetables one variety at a time into the water and cook until crunch tender, about one to two minutes. Scoop out with a strainer and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well, transfer to a bowl and reserve.