Salad du Jour

Today I was the fortunate recipient of a lovely salad. This may sound rather mundane; however, let me assure you it was not. Even as I write, I am wondering why I didn't have the foresight to take a picture of the masterpiece that found its way to my desk. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

A student I had as a sophomore and who has been in choir with Jeff for the last three years has an avid interest in the culinary arts. As a matter of fact, she would like to be a chef. (Though her parents are discouraging the idea because they don't think there's a future in it; instead, they are urging her to become a music teacher. Go figure.) During this, her senior year, she has enrolled in a foods class as an elective and today they made salads. Mind you, this is not an ordinary, run-of-the-mill job with roughly chopped veggies atop greens that have been liberally sprinkled with dressing. This was much more beautiful and delicious. Upon completion of her masterpiece, she presented it to Jeff who knew I would be an appreciative audience as well, and thus brought it to me during lunch.

The salad consisted of paper-thin cucumber slices surrounding a blend of finely chopped bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, and jicama all of which had been tossed with a fruity olive oil mixed with red wine vinegar and seasoned with salt, pepper, and just a touch of sugar. The light hand on the seasonings and the good quality of the oil coupled to bring out the freshness of the vegetables which were all precisely the same size and shape. Perhaps the best part of the entire dish, though, was the presentation. The cucumber slices had been overlapped within a steel ring and then the salad was firmly packed into the center before being chilled. When the ring was removed (with a flourish, I might add), the cucumbers remained upright encircling the snappy colors of the salad. Actually, the thing was so pretty that I couldn't bring myself to eat it at first. I set it on my desk where many students admired it before I broke down and tasted it.

This dish inspired me to purchase some ring molds of my own for future dinner parties. The salad was easily put together, I think, but extremely impressive on the plate. Just my style!