Roasted Shallot and Spinach Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

I love good salads. I don’t eat as many as I should, but I love them still. I can enjoy a simple salad of mixed greens or an elaborate Caesar just the same. It has been my experience that the salads prepared in kitchens for the employee or “family” meal are better than the ones on the menus of most restaurants. It becomes a contest between the line cooks to see who can come up with the most interesting food that ultimately is inhaled by other cooks, dishwashers and servers. I once saw a line cook save the fat off of the seared foie gras appetizer for two days so that he could toss his beef tips in it on the third. Not coincidently, everyone raved about the family meal that night.
This salad was one that I worked on after eating at a restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC. It was a good restaurant and I knew the chef fairly well, so he treated me to a meal and let me come back into the kitchen as service died down. My salad that evening was composed of micro-greens and “cured” raspberries. I’m not sure how the raspberries were cured, but the salad was nice and refreshing before the main course (it was also the size of a kiwi). While we were in the kitchen, I saw one of the cooks in the pantry (where the salads are produced) open a small, one-portion container of manufactured raspberry vinaigrette. I was surprised to say the least, especially when I read the ingredients. Let’s just say that raspberry “flavor” was used along with emulsifiers that I can’t spell or pronounce. Well, I took it as a challenge to come up with a vinaigrette that was equal to or better than the one out of the box and tinkered around until I came up with what follows. This vinaigrette has evolved through a few trial-and-errors into one of my “back pocket” recipes (ones that I’m known for). The testing ground was family meal, where suggestions were made by everyone from other cooks to a dishwasher who suggested grilled shrimp as a nice touch. I think he wanted some grilled shrimp that night. You have to watch out for the dishwashers and servers, they can be tricky sometimes.

What you need to get together:

For the vinaigrette
Cranberry juice 10 oz.
Sugar 1 TBSP
Olive oil 8 oz.
Shallots 8 each, peeled and left whole
Red wine vinegar 2 oz.

For the salad
Baby spinach 2 cups of washed leaves per person
Belgian Endive 1 head
Dried cranberries 1 TBSP per person
Farmer’s cheese as needed for garnish

How to put it all together:

THE DRESSING
1. In a sauce pan, bring the cranberry juice and sugar to a boil and reduce the mixture, over medium-high heat, to 2 oz. This process will take a little under 10 minutes.
2. Remove the reduced juice for the pan and wash the pan very well. Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil and shallots (remember to leave them whole).
3. Begin to “roast” the shallots over medium-high heat until the outer layers begin to get some color. At this point, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the shallots in the oil until they are well caramelized and cooked through (about 10 minutes).
4. Turn off the heat and remove the shallots. Let the oil cool in the pan or in another container. When the shallot-infused oil is at room temperature, whisk in the vinegar and reduced cranberry juice until the vinaigrette is completely emulsified (a blender or hand mixer makes this step much easier).
5. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

THE SALAD
1. Wash both the spinach leaves and Belgian endive leaves to remove any excess dirt and dry well.
2. Julienne the endive leaves (these can be held in ice water before service, but not for more than an hour or so).
3. “Plump” the dried cranberries in hot water for 5 minutes or use them dry (or you can plump them in the vinaigrette by adding them to it once it is done).
4. Toss all of the salad components together and season with a touch of salt and pepper. Add the vinaigrette and toss until the spinach has a LIGHT coating. Do not over-dress the greens.
5. Portion out the salad equally onto chilled plates and add 2 whole shallots to each plate along with a generous garnish of the farmer’s cheese.

A few final thoughts about the recipe:

This has become one of my all-time favorites. The vinaigrette is balanced with the shallot infusion and tart cranberry, the spinach and endive both compliment one another and the shallots become sweet and rich at the same time. The method for “roasting” the shallots is not traditional here (it should be done in the oven), but unless you are making salad for the 23rd Battalion, dong it on the stove top is much easier.
Originally, I put goat cheese in this salad and have even used feta a time or two, but the simplicity of a fresh farmer’s cheese is just what this recipe calls for. If you can get your hands on some, a nice Mexican queso fresco is great as well. Also, try heating the shallots before service. The contrast of tender spinach, crisp endive and warm, buttery shallots is awesome.