Chef Robert Reynolds' Three Salads

"The act of cooking ends in creativity but begins in the hands." - Chef Robert Reynolds

I just posted a new Novice to Pro interview with Chef Robert Reynolds, cookbook author, cooking teacher, restauranteur and a heck of a nice guy. I called Chef Reynolds today in Portland, Oregon and we talked about food, cooking, France and and his culinary school, Chefs Studio.

Chef Reynolds trained in France with Madeleine Kamman and was mentored with Josephine Araldo. The two of them co-authored the cookbook, From a Breton Garden. He owned the very popular restaurant in San Francisco, Le Trou, from 1982 to 1996.

Check out my interview with Chef Reynolds to hear his suggestions to help novice cooks get over their fear of cooking or his most important elements when creating a recipe from scratch. Below is his recipe for Three Salads. They are from his cookbook, An Excuse To Be Together.

THREE SALADS

Arrange all three salads nicely on a plate. Garnish them with butter lettuce and hard cooked eggs for lunch. You might sense what it is like to grow up with a French Maman who often makes dishes like these. Don't forget the baguette!

Print Recipe

Chef Robert Reynolds’ Three Salads

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

Carrot Salad

• 6 medium carrots

For the Vinaigrette

• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons oil neutral - see Note above
• 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
• freshly ground pepper

Beet Salad

• 3 beets whole

Celery Root Salad

• 1 head celery root about 1 pound

For the Mayonnaise

• ½ lemon juice from
• salt to taste
• 1 egg yolk
• ¾ cup flavorless oil See note above in carrot salad
• 1 tablespoon chives finely-chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Carrot Salad

• Grate 2 cups of new carrots through the fine holes of a box grater.

For the Vinaigrette

• Put a generous pinch of sea salt into a small bowl.
• Add 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, swirling to dissolve the salt.
• Add Dijon mustard to taste and using a fork, whisk to incorporate 4 tablespoons of oil.
• Toss the carrots with chopped parsley.
• Finish with salt and pepper to taste.

Beet Salad

• Roast 2 to 3 whole, medium-sized beets at 350°F until they become fork tender, about an hour.
• When they have cooled, peel them.
• Dice or shred and put into a bowl before tossing with another vinaigrette.

Celery Root Salad

• Quarter the celery root, peel, then grate through the large holes of a box grater.
• Bring water to a boil, add half a tablespoon of salt and blanch the celery root for 1 minute.
• Drain and squeeze gently to dry thoroughly. Leave in a bowl to cool.

For the Mayonnaise

• Prepare a mayonnaise in a food processor with the juice of half a lemon, a teaspoon of sea salt and one egg yolk.
• Turn the machine on and slowly pour in ¾ cup of flavorless oil in a steady stream. When half the oil has been added, taste for seasoning. (If the sauce needs more salt, dilute a pinch in a tablespoon of boiling water. The heat helps set the egg and loosens the texture of the mayonnaise.)
• With the machine running, add the remaining oil in a thin stream to finish the mayonnaise.
• Toss the blanched celery root with the mayonnaise.
• Decorate the salad with a tablespoon of finely chopped chives.

Notes

My friend Bart Evans reminded me that a classic Sauce Remoulade for celery root can be achieved by adding a teaspoon each of chopped capers and cornichons along with chives and cayenne to our mayonnaise.