Swept up by the trend to grow our own food, I planted my first vegetable garden this year late in the spring season. I had very low yield but the flavor and texture of the fruit that the garden bore was excellent. I harvested Asian eggplant (a few of which were stuffed and others were factored into mixed grills or curries), jalapeno peppers, hungarian peppers and tomatoes. The tomatoes, along with the jalapeno peppers, helped to make mouth-watering salsa. And on hot summer afternoons, the tomatoes made the perfect lunch sliced, placed on white bread or a lightly toasted pita with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Yum!
I pulled the last three Celebrity tomatoes off the vine a few days ago (pictured left are slices from one of the tomatoes) and used them in a deconstructed cobb salad (pictured above). My version of this salad is a tribute to the deconstructed cobb on the menu of DC Coast, a restaurant in Washington, D.C. known as a go-to power meal spot for the tasseled Gucci-loafered lobbyists in town. A detailed history of the Cobb salad (which dates back to 1930s Hollywood), including its original ingredients, can be found on Wikipedia. I haven't dined at DC Coast for a while, so I prepared my salad from a foggy recollection and gut instinct. The preparation of the ingredients is so simple that I'm not addressing preparation steps. Appearing left to right on the salad plate pictured at the top of this page are the following ingredients:
- crumbled blue cheese
- diced tomatoes
- chopped spinach
- chopped bacon
- diced cucumber
- chopped grilled chicken (or you can use chopped chicken from roaster leftovers)
- chopped egg
And across the top of the plate is diced, ripened avocado. The dressing I used for this salad is a honey mustard and grapefruit champagne vinaigrette that is spicy and bright and a delicious contrast to the rich ingredients of the salad. The ingredients for the dressing are:
- 1/3 cup of Honeycup Uniquely Sharp Mustard
- 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon of white, refined sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1/2 tablespoon of finely minced fresh garlic
- 1/8 cup of champagne
- 1/8 cup of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- Pinch of dry oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
NOTE: the Honeycup brand of mustard is central to this dressing. No other honey mustard will do. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk until fully combined and the dressing is emulsified. If you don't have champagne at the ready, a splash of dry white wine is a good substitute. You also may add a little water to the dressing to tone down the flavor or thin out the consistency or you may add sparkling water if you'd like the effervescence of champagne but don't have any handy. Remember, the key to improvising is tasting your product along the way. Whisk the dressing after every adjustment, dab a drop of dressing on your forefinger and taste to determine whether you are satisfied or more adjustments are needed. If you can't pluck the last of this season's tomatoes fresh from your garden for this salad, consider buying from your local farmers market. But, hurry -- grab them while supplies last!
