For A Satisfying Salad Rich In Flavor, Make It Like The French Do

A salad doesn't have to lack flavor, especially not when the touch of French culinary practices are involved. There are endless ways that the French have inspired better cooking to take food to the next level, in fact, the country has inspired some states to drizzle French dressing on pizza. However, when it comes to a vinaigrette worth remembering, there is one particular rule you ought to be following for mouthwatering flavor: get used to warming it up. 

Salade Lyonnaise, a dish from Lyon, is one example of how the French use a hot vinaigrette from bacon drippings which becomes creamy when mixed with a poached egg yolk. Generally, the warm bacon fat softens the leafier items in the salad to minimize the amount of chewing. The heated dressing is known to wilt the leaves and will even be absorbed by certain grainy ingredients in your salad like quinoa. Warming the oil will also give your salad a better chance of fending off that excessively herb-like taste that sometimes lands on the tongue with refined oils like canola, vegetable, or soy. 

The process of heating the oil helps the aromatics like garlic and shallots to bring fuller depth to the bowl (we're talking the type of aromas that fill the room with their scent). You can also get the flavor benefits of spices and herbs warmed in fats or oils like cumin seeds, coriander seeds, chili flakes, black peppercorn, oregano, and your favorite peppers. When heated in oil, these ingredients are able to chemically release deeper levels of flavor, which results in a salad with some kick and a greater depth of taste a cold salad can't compete with.

To get the best flavor benefits, you want to gently warm the vinaigrette. You'll be best to begin with only one tablespoon of your preferred oil or residue fat and then add in your aromatics over a pan on a medium heat for a few minutes. Once you've stirred the ingredients over this period of time, it will be time to bring the heat to a low and pour in other liquid ingredients like vinegar or lemon juice. Then toss in the remaining ingredients to be coated in the delicious dressing.

Balancing out the temperature of salads can make a world of difference, whether you add warm ingredients to your bagged salad or trickle some warm vinaigrette over your salad veggies. Thankfully, even the slightest warmth brings a noticeable change to an otherwise cold and potentially dull salad — and if you have any left over, you can simply pop it in the refrigerator and warm it up again over the stove using a skillet.

One way to enjoy your salads the French way is to add your warm dressing to arugula leaves, shallots, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar for a flavor that is richly savory and rendered in bacon fat. If you'd like to swap the bacon fat for a vegetarian-friendly alternative that doesn't have an overpowering taste (why not let the spices do all the hard work) then it's worth opting for a neutral-tasting grapeseed oil instead. The combination pairs well with shredded carrots, which won't shrink with the warmth of the dressing but will give a sweet-tasting crunch. Other ingredients to add into the mix include chickpeas and pistachio nuts for a creamy, nutty, and earthy touch to this salad.