Warm Winter Salads - Cooks Illustrated

Published November 1, 1998.

Hardy-textured greens with strong flavors create salads that can stand up to a warm dressing or a single hot ingredient.

The Problem

These salads can be bland or soggy or both.

The Goal

Cool, crisp greens tossed with a warm dressing or a single hot ingredient--a combination that would make for a great winter starter.

The Solution

The secret is to use greens that have hardy textures and assertive flavors. The crisp texture of greens such as escarole, radicchio, arugula, and watercress can withstand a dousing with warm dressing or the addition of a hot ingredient without becoming so wilted that they are no longer a pleasure to eat. Meanwhile, their assertive flavors become pleasantly subdued, not overpowered.

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