Spring Picnic Pea Salad

Author Notes

Every Spring when the first really warm and sunny day hits we set up a table with tablecloth, good China and silverware. We put it right under the big black cherry tree and throw an elegant picnic. Pickled beets, radishes, asparagus all along side cold roast chicken, cold beer, wine, this salad and some crusty bread. It makes for a lovely afternoon. - thirschfeld —thirschfeld

Test Kitchen Notes

This is marvelous. I confess I was tempted to blanch the peas for a few seconds, but I didn't, and I am oh-so-glad; their sweetness is astounding against the creamy backdrop of the dressing and the zing of the herbs. I didn't have chervil, so I used tarragon (because that's what Food Lovers' Companion said to substitute). My strainer was perhaps a little finer than would have been optimal, thus it was a bit of a job to rice the eggs through it, but it worked well. A note: When I tried this just after I combined everything, my thought was, "Hmm. That's OK." But 20 minutes later, after I'd cooked my shrimp and sliced my tomatoes, it was absolutely astounding. I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe add more tarragon). - Kayb —The Editors