by loli
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by Sarah Shatz
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by Sarah Shatz
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by sygyzy
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by loli
A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand Collapseloli's Notes:
Expand1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 Handful of Fresh Verbena Leaves Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon coarse salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 seedless watermelon Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 pound fresh goat cheese Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup unsalted pistachios Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons red vine vinegar Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon Maldon Sea Salt Ask a question about this ingredient
Roughly chop the verbena and place in a mortar and add the olive oil and the coarse salt. Grind for about 10 minutes and let it sit for about 1 hour at room temperature.
Ask a question about this stepCut the watermelon into cube and place in a salad bowl in the refrigerator.
Ask a question about this stepPlace the pistachios in a pan and on low heat toast them for 5 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepRemove the pistachios from the pan and chop them roughly. Set aside in a small bowl
Ask a question about this stepCrumble the goat cheese.
Ask a question about this stepTake the olive oil and verbena mix and put it through a small mixer. When completely mixed add the vinegar. Mix again.
Ask a question about this stepTake the watermelon out of the fridge, add the goat cheese, drizzle the vinaigrette, sprinkle the pistachios and finish with maldon sea salt and pepper. Mix and serve!
Ask a question about this stepI'm going to try to grow verbena again this summer. Last summer, it just looked forlorn and sad. So glad you're enjoying the book!
Hi, we made your salad for our Bite Club last night. We mixed everything though so presentation was not as great but the flavors were spot on. Infused the olive oil with the zest of one lemon since I did not have verbena.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sygyzy/4816020254/in/set-72157624552342058/
I assembled this for our pre-parade picnic, and it was fabulous! I took Amanda's suggestions and used lemon zest combined with basil leaves. The vinaigrette was refreshing and very sublime. I used the zest of one lemon, and a handful of basil. Not only was this a tasty variation on the usual watermelon on the 4th, it was a beautiful presentation.
Is lemon balm the same as lemon verbena - I tried to look for a plant to grow and never found one , but did find lemon balm - its growing like a weed in my garden. . And how does one make a tisane form the lemon vebena? I had a tisane at Chez Panise in Berkeley, Ca several years ago. It had a variety of herbs - but it seemed the lemon verbena was the most fragrant
No, lemon balm and lemon verbana are different even though they both have lemony scents. Lemon balm leaves are 'leaf' green, with broad leaves which are slightly downy! Lemon Verbana leaves are slightly lighter green and are long and narrow, with a pointy end. I have both.....but haven't used the verbana since I got it a few weeks ago!
I made this last night using a mixture of herbs from my garden. I couldn't justify buying lemon verbena when I have so much overflow here. I muddled anise hyssop leaves, let them infuse the oil and then took them out. I left the basil and mint, which I ground finely, in the dressing. The pistachios were great--I toasted them in a cast iron skillet on the grill. Thanks!
this sounds great -- I think next year I have to grow both lemon verbena and anise hyssop on my deck.
Is there anything that can be substituted for the lemon verbena leaves?
Yes -- we talked about this. We think you could substitute lemongrass or lemon zest. And we thought it would also be interesting with a combination of lemon zest and basil if you don't have access to verbena.
Aldo Sohm is the award-winning Chef Sommelier at Le Bernardin in NYC.
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Toasting the pistachios -- be sure to watch them, they burn quickly!
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Fresh verbena smells incredible.
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Instead of starting with the verbena and all of the olive oil, we opted to grind the verbena into 2T of the olive oil, and then gradually added the rest of the olive oil. Be sure to put a little elbow grease into the grinding -- you really want to mash it up!
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After the verbna, salt, and olive oil mixture sat for an hour, we made the dressing.
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The salad is layered, starting with the watermelon, then the goat cheese.
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Drizzling on the dressing...
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And finishing with the pistachios, salt and pepper.
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All done.
This was just sent to me and I grow mint and verbena and this is right up my street. Can't wait until watermelons are in season.
I am enjoying the NY Times cookbook very much--it was a holiday gift to myself!