Wednesday 19 August 2009

Little Gems with a Creamy Basil Dressing



I am truly a salad nut. I could eat salad seven nights a week and never tire of it . . . ever.

One of my favourite salad leaves to use, are the baby gems. I love them sliced into quarters and dressed with a simple vinaigrette, or a tasty blue cheese dressing . . . fabulous along with a scattering of sliced spring onion.



The little inner leaves make perfect little cups to hold a multitude of fillings, creating wonderful little hors oeuvres. I especially like a chicken caesar salad filling in them. With teeny weeny toasted croutons on top they can be a bit messy to eat, but oh so very fun to eat and quite popular with the guests where I work.



I think it's because baby gems have a lot of flavour. No salad wimps these. They have an assertive, almost bitter quality that lends itself perfectly to the salad.



I prepared a delicious green basil dressing to serve these lovely ones I picked up at the shops today. Slightly larger, they made the perfect salad, simply sliced in half, with some of the dressing drizzled over each half. Knive and fork salads . . . my favourite kind of all!



*Little Gems with a Creamy Basil Dressing*
Serves 6
printable recipe

I love this dressing. It has a beautiful colour and flavour. You can also use it on blanched vegetables such as broccoli and asparagus. It's very tasty!

1 cup good quality mayonnaise (I use Hellman's or French)
8 finely chopped spring onions, both the white and the green parts
1 cup of chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
the juice of two lemons
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup creme fraiche
3 large heads of little gem lettuce, halved
a large hand full of cherry tomatoes, halved

Place the mayonnaise, spring onions, basil,parsley leaves, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper into your blender or the cup of a stick blender. Process and blend until smooth. Add the creme fraiche and pulse once or twice to combine. Cover and chill until you are ready to use it.

Cut each head of lettuce in half and arrange one half on each of six chilled salad plates. Scatter the tomatoe halves around and drizzle with some of the dressing. Serve. Pass any extra dressing at the table. This dressing will keep for several days, stored covered and in the refrigerator.

6 comments

  1. I want to keep eat at your house. :-)
    Salads are my favorite of all foods.
    This one looks really good.

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  2. You can do lots with a good salad dressing can't you. I have little patience with people on a "diet" who say they can't have salad dressings because of the oil. A little goes a long way and you are certainly going to enjoy your salad more with a good dressing!

    love, Angie, xx

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  3. Love this simple salad with few ingredients and terrific dressing...just beautiful! Salad for lunch now...sounds good! Happy Day, sweet friend...LOVE YA ((BIG HUGS))

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  4. Marie, love this salad, look spectacular! love and envy your tomatoes! here we dont have yet lovely tomatoes, maybe next month, huggs and kisses, gloria

    ReplyDelete
  5. I LOVE the post title! I am a salad girl too (although you would NEVER know it from my blog!) Your pictures are lovely! Love it! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Made this a couple of weeks ago but never left a post, was really good. Tried it with your salad and also with boiled potatoes and asparragus as per your suggestion and it was delicious.
    Thank you for the recipe, Regards, Bianca from Estepona Málaga, Spain

    ReplyDelete

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