Frisee With Walnut Oil Recipes

FRISEE SALAD WITH SPICED WALNUTS, PEARS, FARMHOUSE CHEDDAR, AND PORT VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Dressing: Simmer the port in a small saucepan until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Let cool, then whisk in the vinegar, shallot, and salt and pepper, to taste. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.
• Salad: In a large bowl, toss the frisee or mesclun, radicchio, and pear. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Drizzle with the dressing; you probably won't use it all. With a vegetable peeler, shave the cheese over top. Scatter the walnuts on top and serve immediately.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat about 1-inch of oil to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add walnuts and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and transfer nuts to a medium bowl. While nuts are still hot and slightly wet, add confectioners' sugar and toss to coat nuts. Stir and toss until all the sugar has melted into the nuts; if bits of un-melted sugar remain on the nuts, they will not fry properly.
• Stir the nuts again before frying. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer a few nuts to the hot oil, allowing the foam to subside before adding another spoonful. (Otherwise, the oil could foam over and burn you.) Fry in small batches until the nuts are medium brown, about 45 seconds; be careful not to overcook. Scatter on an unlined baking sheet to cool slightly.
• In a small bowl, stir together cayenne, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and pepper, to taste.
• While the nuts are still warm, transfer them to a bowl and sprinkle evenly with about half of the spice mix. Toss well to distribute the spices and then taste a nut. Add more spice mix, to taste, and toss well after each addition. When cool, pack in an airtight jar. They will keep at room temperature for at least 2 weeks.

FRISEE SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE, MAPLE VINAIGRETTE AND CANDIED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, syrup and shallot, add the oils in a stream, whisking, and whisk the vinaigrette until it is emulsified. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
• Make the candied walnuts: In a saucepan simmer the walnuts in water to cover for 5 minutes, or until they are softened slightly, drain them, and transfer them to a paper towel to dry completely. In a bowl stir together the walnuts and the sugar. In a Dutch oven heat 3 inches of the oil to 350 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer and in it fry the walnuts in batches for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they are brown and crisp. Transfer the walnuts as they are fried with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet and season them with the salt and cayenne.
• In a large bowl, toss the frisee with the dates and enough of the vinaigrette to just coat the salad, rserving any remaining vinaigrette for another use. Divide the salad among 6 plates, mounding it in the center, divide the cheeses and the bread around it, and sprinkle the salads with the walnuts and the herbs.

FRISEE WITH WALNUT OIL

Steps:

• If using frisee, rinse it, dry it, remove the cores and tear into bite-sized pieces. If frisee is unavailable and you are substituting large heads of chicory, remove the green outer leaves and reserve them for another use. Use only the sweeter yellow and white leaves for the salad. Rinse and dry them and tear into bite-sized pieces. Place in the salad bowl and toss with the scallions.
• Combine the vinegar and mustard and beat until blended. Add the oil and beat until the dressing is smooth. Pour over the salad, toss, season with salt and pepper, toss again and serve.

FRISéE AND APPLE SALAD WITH DRIED CHERRIES AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in dried cherries. Toss frisée and apple slices in large bowl. Add cherry dressing and toss to coat. Divide among 4 plates; sprinkle with walnuts and freshly ground black pepper and serve.

BLEU CHEESE, WALNUT AND CRANBERRY CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Brush the bread slices on the top with 2 tablespoons of the walnut oil. Bake until crisp, about 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine the toasted walnuts, bleu cheese, 4 tablespoons of shallots, and dried cranberries. Spread the mixture on the toast slices. Bake until cheese melts, approximately 4 minutes.
• In a separate, non-reactive bowl combine the frisee, 2 tablespoons shallots, 2 tablespoons walnut oil and the vinegar. Season with sea salt and toss.
• Serve with crostini.