Name: The House Salad
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 large head butter or bibb lettuce; 1 small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks (roughly 1/2 cup); 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds; 1 cup large shavings Asiago or Parmesan cheese; 2 1/2 tablespoons crème fraîche; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon honey; 1 scallion, white part only, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Image may contain Plant Birthday Cake Food Dessert Cake Salad Vegetable and Meal

The House SaladHugh Forte

There is not much to say about this salad—it is as charmingly simple and straightforward as it appears. You could likely just copy it without a recipe. The point I do want to stress, however, is the necessity of making your own salad dressings. There is all sorts of junk in store-bought dressings and they don't taste nearly as fresh—not to mention that it's ridiculously easy to whisk a few things together or put them in a mini blender. This particular dressing hovers around the vinaigrette family, with just enough crème fraîche to coat the leaves with the thinnest amount of creaminess. Be sure your leaves are cleaned and fully dry so the dressing can cling on. The recipe yields enough for the given salads, but I typically double it so I have extra on hand.

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large head butter or bibb lettuce

1 small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks (roughly 1/2 cup)

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup large shavings Asiago or Parmesan cheese

House Dressing

2 1/2 tablespoons crème fraîche

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 scallion, white part only, finely chopped

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Step 1
To make the dressing, whisk together the crème fraîche, olive oil, and honey. Add the scallion, vinegar, salt, and pepper and whisk again. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste, or a touch more vinegar if you prefer your dressing on the acidic side.
Step 2
Gently pull the lettuce leaves from the head, making sure they are dry. Gently toss the leaves and jicama with the dressing. Assemble in a stack on each of 4 plates, starting with the largest leaves on the bottom to create a base. Garnish each salad with a quarter of the pomegranate seeds and the cheese shavings. Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods by Sara Forte. Copyright © 2012 by Sara Forte. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Sara Forte discovered a love for whole foods when she volunteered at an organic farm while working toward her English degree at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. The interest led to an internship in Italy at a bed-and-breakfast and cooking school, jobs at a few different markets, and eventually a food blog, Sprouted Kitchen (sproutedkitchen.com), that she produces with her husband, Hugh. She writes recipes and stories about life while he documents their whole food approach to eating well. Her work has been featured in InStyle, Better Homes & Gardens, Sunset, Fine Cooking, The Kitchen, Etsy, Food 52, and EcoSalon. The Sprouted Kitchen was a recent finalist in Saveur's Best Food Blog Awards for Best Food Photography. Sara continues to freelance in recipe development and take on small catering jobs on the side. They currently live in Dana Point, California, working, eating, and inspiring people to cook fresh, real food.

Recipe information

Ingredients

House Dressing

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Recipe notes