THE WILLIAMS-SONOMA COLLECTION: SALAD - By Georgeanne Brennan
This cookbook has a copyright of 2002. I don't know where I got this book. I have not cooked from this before.
I know what you're thinking. A book that tells you how to make salads? They're so easy! But this is a bit more than a basic salad cookbook. This book isn't about just tossing some greens together with a dressing.
This book only has about 40 or so recipes. The chapters are divided into classic salads, salads by the seasons and then picnic salads. Each recipe has a really nice colored photo of the finished dish. There are a few pages in the back about salad basics (recipes for dressings and mayo) and a glossary of ingredients. That glossary also gives tips on things like peeling mangoes. The index is really nice as it lists not only the recipes but lots of ingredients so if you have bell peppers or capers you want to use, you can look up which recipes in the book call for them. I didn't find any ingredients that I couldn't locate at my nearest grocery store though some of the fresh fruits and vegetables might be hard to find in certain areas (like blood oranges).
The salad recipes can be pretty substantial. The recipes in the Classics section range from dishes like Caesar and Cobb to Ambrosia. The Spring section includes Asparagus and Smoked Salmon with Tarragon Cream Salad along with a recipe for Baby Spinach with Ginger-Glazed Scallops. You'll find Tomato and Bread Salad with Deep-Fried Chicken Bites and Thai-Style Beef Salad in the Summer Section. Autumn features Mushrooms and Fennel with Parmesan Crisps and Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Arugula. Winter Salads include Mixed Citrus with Red Onions and Escarole and Duck Breast with Radicchio and Bitter Greens. A recipe for Rice Salad with Tuna and Capers is included in the Picnic section along with a recipe for White Peaches with Almonds and Currants.
The book sure looks good, great photography. And most of the salads sound pretty tasty. With additions of fish, poultry and beef, these salads definitely go beyond just a recipe for greens and dressing.
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