As we creep towards our true Spring, while our local farmers tantalizingly talk of tender shoots, we rely on trips to Whole Foods for anything approximating a green vegetable. Fortunately WF has been stocking some local hydroponic watercress, allowing us to make one of our favorite salads—something Michelle created via a series of inspirations and ideas.
The path to this salad began a decade ago at Fish La Boissonnerie, a lovely little bistro on Rue de Seine in Paris. Featuring baby arugula, shavings of Parmesan cheese and sliced dates, the peppery green, sweet and salty salad charmed us greatly, and we took the idea back with us to Gourmandistan. There, like many things, the salad began to adapt. Desiring a more nutty flavor, we began using a walnut oil vinaigrette. Later, for even more punch, we started sugar-toasting walnuts and adding some chili flakes for extra kick, which led to orange slices to tone down the heat. We began to use watercress, finding it less peppery and more tender than the original arugula, and soon the salad became not from Fish, but from ourselves. Add a bit of Blue Dog baguette and it’s a dinner in Gourmandistan by way of Paris, a pleasant journey we can’t seem to get enough of.
(adapted from Myra Goodman’s Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook) Place all ingredients in a glass jar with lid tightly sealed. Shake to combine.WALNUT VINAIGRETTE
Gourmandistan 
Ah man, I wish you guys were our neighbors!
So do I (I’d borrow eggs), but I’m too old to take the California bar exam!
Betch you’d ace it! ; )
Mmmm this looks good. I love all of those colors together! Walnut oil seems like a really good oil base for a vinaigrette. I’ll have to try it!
Thanks so much!
Beautiful salad! Healthy and delish. I’ll be right over :).
We’ve got a place set for you!
I haven’t made a walnut oil vinaigrette in a very long time, I’m going to have to remedy that shortly by making this salad!
Walnut oil? I didn’t even know they made that! I’m sure it has a wonderfully nutty flavour. That salad is gorgeous. Love the contrast of the green and orange!
Yeah, sometimes it can be hard to find and it spoils quickly. It’s interesting to use as a substitute for butter in, say, a fruit crisp.
oh yessss….. this is beautiful. i can not wait to try that dressing.
Thanks! (A little of this one does go a long way.)
It sounds wonderful and refreshing – what a great recipe.
Thanks, Frugal. Walnut oil is a tad expensive, though!
So fresh and zingy …at least, that´s how I imagine it tastes!
Good description!
It is amazing how our favorite dishes that we prepare all the time seem to change as our taste evolve.
As my mom always says: “First we thought a Whitman’s sampler was good, then we had to have Godiva, then….”