So after two days of desserts I needed to lighten up a little today and do a healthy salad. I decided that Martha’s Endive and Pear Salad With Oregon Blue Cheese and Hazelnuts sounded like a very interesting combination. There was just one problem, I couldn’t find endive! But if you know me, you should know that I’m up for that kind of challenge, so I used radicchio in place of the endive.
Here’s something to keep in mind when you need to substitute — what is the flavor profile you’re going for? It’s generally a good rule to balance one flavor with another contrasting flavor. The balance need not be 50/50, but if you’re making something bitter, it tends to taste better if you add a touch of something sweet to keep the bitter taste from becoming overwhelming to the taste buds. My grandmother always added a little sugar to her tomato sauce. I still carry on that tradition, and I know some people consider that offensive, because a good tomato should have its own sweetness. But I personally find that tablespoon of sugar to a large pot of tomato sauce cuts the harsher, more acidic quality of the tomatoes and ultimately brings out best in the sauce. It’s just like salt, when used in moderation it brings out the flavor of food. When it’s overused it overwhelms and takes over as the dominant flavor. The key is finding the right flavor combinations to bring full expression to whatever it is you’re cooking and make it come alive.
With this salad, in lieu of having endive I chose radicchio because both are bitter. Of course it tastes different, but in going with something bitter I could still create the proper balance of flavor. This salad combines a lot of strong flavors — the bitterness of the radicchio and hazelnuts, the sweetness of the pears and the sharpness of the blue cheese along with a sweet and sour vinaigrette dressing. The beauty of this salad is the way these different flavors and textures bring out the best in each other and create something harmonious. There’s nothing “flat” about a salad like this. And the result is a truly delicious and satisfying salad with a great deal of depth.
Salad is healthy, but it doesn’t need to be deprivational. Try this or one of Martha’s other unique and exciting salads and say goodbye to boring lettuce and tomato salads for good!
