Mary’s Garden Salad Recipe courtesy of Marben Executive Chef de Cuisine Chris Locke
The idea behind the salad is to give a flavour of an Ontario Garden. The fresh herbs, seasonal vegetables and rich egg make a great combination for something light yet filling on a warm summer’s day. Eating a dish such as this, I can’t help but feel a connection to the land around us and the bountiful produce it offers.
Salad
-4 handfuls of mixed salad greens, preferably organic
-2 sprigs basil, leaves picked
-2 sprigs mint, leaves picked
-2 radishes (cincinatti, breakfast, cello)
-6 spears asparagus
-1/2lb fresh peas in pods
-1/2lb fava beans in pods
-2 chicken eggs (we use eggs from pasture raised hens which can be difficult to get hold of. A good replacement would be a free run hen’s egg)
Pickled Kohlrabi
-1 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced paper thin
-1/2 cup white vinegar
-1/2 cup cold water
-2.5 tbsp white sugar
-4 coriander seeds
-1/2 tsp fennel seeds
-1 star anise
English Salad Cream
-3 Egg Yolks (again, we use pasture raised hen’s yolks)
-1.5 tbsp Dijon Mustard
-165g 35% Cream
-0.5 tsp Fresh Minced Garlic
-60g White Wine Vinegar
-200g Cold Pressed Canola Oil
-2.5 tsp Kosher Salt
-8g Clear Honey
For the pickled kohlrabi
-Heat the vinegar with the spices and sugar. Do not let boil but bring to below a simmer, enough to extract the flavours from the spices and dissolve the sugar.
-Remove from the heat and add the water.
-Refrigerate until cold and add the thinly sliced kohlrabi. Let sit for 30 minutes.
For the salad cream
(The method is for directions using a bowl and whisk)
-Add the egg yolks, dijon, cream and garlic into a bowl.
-Whisk together until well combined.
-Slowly add the cold pressed canola oil while whisking the mixture to emulsify the oil with the liquid.
-Once all the mixture is combined, whisk in the honey, salt and vinegar.
-Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Composing the salad
-Firstly, shell the peas and fava beans and boil 2 pans of salted water. One for the eggs and one for the legumes. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare a bowl of ice water. Once the water is boiling, drop in the peas and fava beans and cook for 20 seconds. Remove from the water and plunge into the ice water to prevent them from cooking any further. After 1 minute, remove from the ice water and let dry on paper towel.
-In the remaining pot of boiling water gently lower in your two eggs and let simmer for 7 minutes. Remove and plunge into the same ice water as the peas and fava beans. You may need to add more ice.
-Toss the salad greens in a bowl with the picked mint and basil leaves. These herbs will give the salad pops of fresh flavour. Add enough salad cream to lightly cover the greens. The dressing is heavy so use it gradually.
-Place the tossed greens in one large or two smaller bowls. Using a vegetable peeler, make ribbons from the asparagus and lay on top of the salad. Sprinkle over the peas and fava beans and add the pickled kohlrabi. Use around 8 or 10 slices, depending on the size.
-Next, peel the chilled eggs and slice in half. They should be soft boiled and have runny yolks.
Place the thinly sliced radish around the salad to finish.
Garden Salad Recipe Serves 2
***
Check out Marben restaurant’s website for more info.
