Thursday, March 18, 2010

Boston Lettuce Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing and Parmesan Tuiles



I love a good salad and this one is the new kid in my salad rotation. I was excited to find a new recipe to try in Stir by Barbara Lynch, which is a new addition to my cookbook library.

The combination of fresh herbs and toasted almonds in the salad, along with the crispy parmesan tuiles was delightful! Following Barbara Lynch's suggestion, I added fresh herbs (fresh parsley and tarragon leaves) when I tossed the salad together. What a great, fresh taste!


I love how the Boston lettuce cradles the tuiles.

Having tried making parmesan tuiles before and failing miserably, I was so happy to find a recipe that finally yielded good results. Her recipe calls for adding a little extra-virgin olive oil to the grated parmesan and cooking them in the oven on a Silipat or silicone baking pan liner.


I made a minor change to her dressing recipe and substituted mayonnaise for the egg yolk. I have a wonderful recipe for Caesar dressing that uses mayonnaise in place of egg yolk and figured it would work just as well - and it did.

I hope you try this delicious, fresh-tasting salad! We loved it!

Boston Lettuce Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing and Parmesan Tuiles
Adapted from Stir by Barbara Lynch
Printable Recipe

Serves 6

Dressing:

1 heaping tablespoon good mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon Chardonnay vinegar
1 cup light olive oil or grape seed oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and vinegar until well combined. Slowly add the olive or grapeseed oil in a thin stream until the oil is fully incorporated and emulsified. Whisk in the 1 cup of grated Parmesan. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.

Parmesan Tuiles

1-1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese (I use Parmigiana Reggiano)
1-1/2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking pan with a Silipat or silicone liner. In a small bowl, combine the grated cheese with the extra-virgin olive oil. Using a heaping tablespoon or so of the cheese mixture, make small mounds on the silicone liner and gently flatten them with a spatula. Leave about 2 inches between flattened mounds. Bake until golden and bubbly - about 10-12 minutes. Allow the tuiles to cool on the baking sheet and gently remove with a thin spatula.

Salad:

3 small heads of Boston Lettuce, rinsed and spun dry
Fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon, thyme or chives
1/2 cup chopped and toasted almonds

Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl and add enough salad dressing to coat lightly. Toss. Divide the dressed lettuce on six large salad or dinner plates and top with fresh herbs, toasted almonds and parmesan tuiles and serve. Drizzle with a little extra dressing, if desired.

26 comments:

  1. That dressing looks wonderful and I've printed it out. I also learned the hard way that Silpat is almost a necessity for the tuiles. But they are SO worth it. I haven't tried with olive oil- hmmmm...
    xoxo Pattie

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  2. Your salad looks wonderful!! I am not familar with Stir by Barbara Lynch..I will have to look for it, another cookbook I need??!! :)

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  3. Your recipes always sound so good! I sure hope your family appreciates and enjoys the wonderful dishes you create! :-)
    Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great weekend.
    Glenda

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  4. This salad not only sounds wonderful but it looks fantastic! I am going to visit my Dad and Step mom this week and I can't wait to make this for them!

    Thanks!
    ~Rainey~

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  5. That recipe just had to be good...look at the name of the author!! LOL
    It realy does look delicious..I have more salads in the summer so this one will go in my file!!

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  6. I love a simple salad, but still packed with flavour. This is something I am going to try while the weather is still holding on to the last summer sun. thank you.

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  7. Goodness, that frico is the prettiest ever. The photos are out of this world with the way the light plays in the leaves and lace... great work!

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  8. How pretty.. a nest of tuiles..I agree Boston lettuce is so beautiful..The shape..the lightness..It's just great..and thank you for the tip re the tuiles making..C'est génial.

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  9. That's a party salad if I ever saw one. What a presentation, Susan!
    And the dressing is unusual too. I don't think there is anything more elegant than simple Boston lettuce, dressed well. And you took elegance one step further with your tuiles!

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  10. Sounds delightful. Your pictures are mouth watering!!!!! Yum:)

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  11. Look at those lacy tuiles! Thanks for the tip. I usually let mine brown too much... This dressing is really a keeper!

    Thanks for sharing this.

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  12. After eating cookies all winter, I may have to eat salads for the next decade so this recipe is going into my keeper file. Last year I suffered making parmesan Eiffel Towers. I ended up baking them IN THE COOKIE CUTTERS. Yep. Copper ones. Thought I'd have to blow torch them. Your salad looks fresh and inviting, with alluring layers and texture.
    Have a great weekend!

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  13. Wow! That looks so good! Thanks for sharing!

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  14. So, so delicate & pretty...perfect for a ladies lunch! I have tried making parmesan tuiles & mine didn't turn out either. I am making notes from your post for the next attempt.

    I bought bib lettuce to cradle the little green jell-o shamrocks upon but they totally disappeared in the photo. LOL Silly me...green on green? What was I thinking!

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  15. I had parmesan tuiles with a dish on our last vacation and my husband was completely intrigued but I never remembered to make them for him - now I'll have to! What a beautiful presentation, too!

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  16. OH my! Parmesan tuiles! I have never heard of those, but wow, do they ever make that salad pretty!

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  17. Une salade bien savoureuse.
    je note ta vinaigrette.
    Les tuiles de parmesan sont magnifiques.
    Bon weekend et Ă  bientĂ´t.

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  18. What a beautiful salad ... The Boston lettuce was the perfect choice. The tuiles are perfect, not too brown and so delicate looking. Lovely post ...

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  19. That must taste as good as it looks. I love that you substituted the mayo for the egg. That was a great idea.
    Win Rachael Ray bake ware at my blog.
    Thanks!
    Sheryl

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  20. That is such a dainty looking salad. I think it sounds and looks just wonderful.

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  21. what a beautiful salad! And the dressing sounds great. Is it weird to try an orchestrate a meal around the salad? I want to try this tonight. now I just have to figure out what else I'm going to make

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  22. Wonderful salad. The tuiles look so lovely with the Boston lettuce. Never made them in the oven. Good tip.
    This recipe is a keeper!

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  23. Lovely blog Susan!I have a new blog, I would be happy if you came to visit me...

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  24. Love the Parmesan Tuiles...so pretty and a fabulous presentation too!

    We have Ceasar Salad at least once a week and I'm going to try substituting mayonnaise for the egg yolk!

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  25. Susan, you always have the best salads and this one looks delicious! I liked the one you shared with roasted beets so weel that I'm growing beets in the garden this year, just to make that salad!

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  26. What a beautiful salad. I will have to have a go at the Parmesan Tuiles, they have such a wonderful presentation. Thank you.

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