Holiday cooking can be a harried affair so it’s always great to have a few dishes that are easy and quick to make but that will also be a beautiful accompaniment to your meal. Fancy dishes and a complete menu from appetizers to dessert usually ends up consuming most of the day and sometimes a day or two before that. With all that hustle and bustle in mind, we’ve put together a selection of elegant and very simple salads that will enhance any holiday meal or will be a beautiful beginning to any special meal. These salads are an exciting combination of flavors and textures and most will take no time at all to prepare.

The key ingredient to a simple and elegant salad presentation are interesting greens. These can be a mixture of gourmet greens that you can buy already cleaned and packaged, baby spinach leaves, endive, arugula, watercress, escarole, mizuna, radicchio, or any combination of lettuces. Remember, the rule of thumb for elegance is in applying the less is more concept. A chef friend of mine calls it ‘Elegant not Elephant’. A combination of greens that includes different colors and textures will add to the interest of your salad. A lovely effect is to top the greens with a small piece of frisee. Once you have selected your greens, season them with a vinaigrette before placing them on individual salad plates.

To the greens, add a vegetable or fruit. Instead of mixing all the ingredients together, simply place a small handful of vinaigrette seasoned greens in the center of individual salad plates and decoratively place sliced vegetables or fruit leaning against the greens. Again, remember ‘elegant not elephant’, three or four thin slices of fresh pears, apples, nectarines or tomatoes is plenty. If you want to add asparagus or other vegetables, first blanch them and add only three or four to the salad. Add to this a sprinkling of candied, toasted or spiced nuts, perhaps a few shavings of Parmesan cheese or a small piece of soft cheese and you have a beautiful salad that will add a touch of class to any meal.

Pear Beet and Fennel Salad
Mixed Greens with Apples & Candied Walnuts
Fresh Tomato & Mozzarella Salad
Pear and Goat Cheese Salad
Mesclun with Sugared Pecans and Pomegranate Seeds
Warm Goat Cheese Salad

- Glutenfreeda