This is a fancy appetizer I did for a party once, but it is so good it keeps showing up. Although I like the stacked presentation a lot, this salad works equally well when simply tossed in a bowl and then put onto plates. Also, since I like it so well, the 3 inch diameter salad isn’t always large enough.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup cooked beets, cut into ¼ inch cubes (about 2 medium beets) 1 cup avocado, cut into ¼ inch cubes 1 cup mixed micro greens (as from New Natives), or fine leaves of bitter greens such as arugula and frisee (or young mustard greens)2 tablespoon finely diced candied ginger 2 tablespoon coarsely chopped pistachios, toasted pumpkin seeds, or toasted hazelnuts (depending on the dressing) ½ cup “slack” vinaigrette (this is a dressing with less than the usual amount of oil to it. The dressing should be a little sharp, and a touch runny-hence the term “slack”) made with white balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar, and a light oil such as grapeseed or olive, not extra virgin Drizzle of pistachio, hazelnut, or roasted pumpkinseed oil Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Special Equipment: 3-inch ring mold, or a tuna can with the top and bottom cut out. A 3-inch cookie cutter works too. If you don’t have this, you can still make the salad free form by tossing everything in a bowl, plating the salad and garnishing by drizzling the nut oil on the plate.
METHOD:
Toss the beet in a little of the dressing in a bowl and toss to coat lightly.
Place enough beets in the bottom of the mold to come 1/3 of the way up the mold.
Place an equal amount of avocado on the beets.
Toss the sprouts or greens in a small amount of dressing in a separate bowl and toss to coat lightly but evenly, and place these on the avocado in the mold.
Scatter some diced ginger over the “salad”.
Scatter nuts over and around the plate.
Carefully remove the mold.
Drizzle the plate and salad with a little nut oil.
Toss a little salt and pepper on the salad and serve.
Chef Notes:
This dish works well with a blood orange vinaigrette as well. For this, use juice from the fruit in the dressing, and you could use slices of orange for garnish. Cut away the skin of the fruit past the inside membrane, and then use a sharp paring knife to cut away the segments without getting any of the membrane on the sections. These are sometimes referred to as “filets” from an orange. You could omit the nut oils and use a pinch of cinnamon instead for a different twist.
If you have only one ring mold, use three separate bowls for each ingredient, dress them, and work quickly so the first salad does not wilt by the time the last one is completed.
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