One of the most brilliant, but simple, dishes we had in Paris {at Verjus wine bar} was an endive, cucumber and fennel salad with a truffle oil vinaigrette. I would have never dreamed that these ingredients could have gone together so well – the freshness and the bite of the endive and the fennel work perfectly with the headiness of the truffle oil. Although the salad we had needed no improvement, I added a sprinkling of basil for freshness and an herbal note. This salad may seem simple at first blush, but it’s surprisingly elegant and refined.
Recipe continued after the jump>>>
Recipe
- 2 heads endive, chiffonaded
- 1 English cucumber, cut in half lenghwise, deseeded and sliced thinly {I used a mandolin}
- 1 bulb fennel, top and bottom cut off, sliced thinly {I used a mandolin}
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chiffonaded
- Pecorino
- 1 teaspoon truffle oil {or more to taste, depending on potency of truffle oil}
- 1/2 teaspoon champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Mix endive, cucumber, fennel and basil in a large serving platter. Shave shards of Pecorino using a vegetable peeler. In a small bowl, whisk together truffle oil, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss thoroughly to coat all vegetables evenly. Serve immediately.
Hi Lindsay, Hmmm I have a small obsession going on with fennel, so this seems great!
What a beautiful salad dish! I just love anything that is truffled and I have a very fine white truffle oil which I use to infuse some things when fresh truffles are out of season, even sweet desserts like panna cotta (which is a real match even it doesn’t sound like at first hearing). But it never came to my mind to combine endivie with truffle oil. Great idea – thanks a lot for the inspiration!
What a lovely and light salad – must pack quite a lot of flavour!
What a wonderful salad, I love all the flavours. This salad is so simple and elegant.
Brilliant, indeed ! I love all these three ingredients, they’re so fresh looking and tasting, must go together very well. I definitely should get some truffle oil…
Thank you! At first blush, these ingredients have no business together, but they are wonderful complements! 🙂
So glad to have come across your beautiful blog. Your photography is wonderful and after reading through this recipe and your description of the ingredients, I can hardly wait to read more! I love the addition of the the shards of Pecorino, the combination just sounds so delicious!
Thank you so much Danielle! And thank you so much for stopping by! xo
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Thank you so much for the shout out! Your salad looks delicious!! Can’t wait to give it a try!