Sunday, July 5, 2009

Recipe: Emery's salad with crumbled bacon and truffle vinaigrette

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When Emery, my 10-year-old son, isn't particularly hungry at dinnertime, he asks for salad. Tonight he specifically wanted this sophisticated version, with slightly bitter lettuce, crumbled bacon, white truffle oil and Meyer lemon juice.

Now let's just pause a moment to consider how lucky I am to have a kid who likes eating salad for dinner.

And then another moment to consider how lucky he is that salad is such a meaningful part of his life at age 10. This salad made him happy. Let me tell you, the only foods that made me that happy at his age were much, much unhealthier. (I am not naming them specifically because I'm sure the cravings would start anew.) And I have the Weight Watchers membership to prove it.

This salad is based on one we've had several times at Le Saint Amour, a lovely French restaurant in Culver City. Bruno and Florence, the owners, shared the recipe for their frisee salad with truffle vinaigrette with me a few weeks ago, and it's posted here. Emery's version is much simpler but equally elegant and aromatic - just perfect for a summer evening.

Emery's salad with crumbled bacon and truffle vinaigrette
  • 3 cups of any slightly bitter lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (we used green leaf lettuce, but frisee would do nicely too - don't use Romaine or iceberg)
  • 2 tsp white truffle oil
  • pinch of truffle salt (optional - can substitute sea salt)
  • juice of 1/2 small Meyer lemon
  • 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
Put the lettuce in a large bowl. Drizzle with the truffle oil and dust with the truffle salt. Squeeze the lemon over the salad and toss. Add the bacon and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

2 comments:

Sippity Sup said...

This sounds so really terrific. Truffle oil can be so unpalatable. But paired this way I can just imagine all it's earthy goodness with those greens. I love it. GREG

Erika Kerekes said...

Greg - interesting that you sometimes find truffle oil unpalatable. I can't remember a situation in which it hasn't made my meal better. Examples? (Oh, and thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!)

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