Name: Spinach Salad with Frisée and Strawberries
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 6 as a First Course
Ingredients: 1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach (about 6 cups); 1 medium head frisée, washed, dried, and torn into 2-inch pieces; 1/2 pint strawberries, washed, dried, stemmed, and quartered; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil; 7 teaspoons balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon very finely minced shallot; 3/4 teaspoon mayonnaise; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 4 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon table salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Why This Recipe Works

For our sweet and tender spinach salad recipe, we used frisée to break up the spinach leaves, then added fresh fruit for a bright, clean flavor and textural appeal. For our spinach salad’s dressing, we altered the oil-to-acid ratio of our Foolproof Vinaigrette recipe until it was tangy enough to bring out the fruit’s natural acidity.

Instructions

Place spinach, frisée, strawberries, and basil in large bowl.

In small nonreactive bowl, combine vinegar, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk until mixture appears milky and no lumps remain. Place oil in liquid measuring cup so it is easy to pour. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle oil into mixture. If pools of oil gather on surface, stop addition of oil and whisk mixture well to combine, then resume whisking in oil in slow stream. Vinaigrette should be glossy and lightly thickened.

Pour dressing over spinach mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately.