Viking's Cobb Salad with a Twist
I learned this recipe while taking a Viking cooking class. It reminds me of a traditional Cobb salad, but not as much work & ingredients, and just as tasty. It has creamy avocados, crispy romaine, tangy ripe tomatoes, and a nice touch of bacon to add to the satisfaction.
I learned this recipe while taking a Viking cooking class. It reminds me of a traditional Cobb salad, but not as much work & ingredients, and just as tasty. It has creamy avocados, crispy romaine, tangy ripe tomatoes, and a nice touch of bacon to add to the satisfaction.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 -- dijon vinaigrette --
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 green onion green tops only, thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 -- salad --
- 1 ripe avocado peeled, finely diced
- 2 large eggs; hard-boiled
- 1 head romaine lettuce crisped, chopped
- 2 ounce bleu cheese crumbled
- 1 medium ripe red tomato seeded, finely diced
- 4 slices bacon cooked, crumbled
- Carbohydrate 13.5820692164222 g
- Cholesterol 135.67125 mg
- Fat 47.79312 g
- Fiber 7.37078101246286 g
- Protein 13.0309124999915 g
- Saturated Fat 11.61500075 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (344g)
- Sodium 604.962999999887 mg
- Sugar 6.21128820395934 g
- Trans Fat 3.24811275 g
- Calories 521 calories
Step-by-step
- To make your dijon vinaigrette, add vinegar, mustard, honey and green onion into a small mixing bowl and whisk until throroughly combined.
- Add the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly until vinaigrette has emulsified and is creamy.
- Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Set aside while preparing salad.
- To prepare the salad, toss the avocado with some of the dressing to keep the color nice and vibrant.
- Cover it with plastic wrap and set aside while preparing other ingredients.
- Take both eggs and separate egg whites from egg yolks and chop separately.
- Once all ingredients are in separate piles on your chppping board, start layering salad ingredients.
- In a medium sized bowl, add romaine and toss with a small amount of dressing just to lightly coat.
- Make 6 columns of ingredients across the top of the lettuce.
- Starting at the left side of salad, make one column of avocados, then bleu cheese, egg yolks, tomatoes, egg white and then bacon.
- When I serve this salad into bowls, I always make sure to also use my tongs and grab from the left to the right, so that each salad bowl gets a little bit of each ingredient.
- Serve immediately and serve with additional vinaigrette on the side.
Building a Stable Vinyasa Emulsion
Whisking red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey together before adding fat creates a temporary suspension that captures oil droplets effectively. Pouring extra virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly forces mechanical dispersion, yielding a creamy texture without chemical additives. Green onion tops provide mild sulfur notes without watery pulp disrupting the emulsion balance. Substituting bottled lemon juice for red wine vinegar alters the acid profile drastically, demanding an increased oil ratio to counteract sharp citric astringency.
Precision Cutting and Color Retention
Seeding the medium ripe red tomato prevents excess moisture from pooling at the base of the bowl and diluting the dressing. Tossing finely diced avocado immediately in a portion of the prepared vinaigrette coats the flesh in an acidic barrier that inhibits polyphenol oxidase enzymes, delaying enzymatic browning for up to 45 minutes under plastic wrap. Separating hard-boiled egg whites from yolks and chopping them independently creates distinct textural contrast and prevents a powdery yellow smear across the greens.
Arrangement and Tonal Distribution
Laying ingredients in six parallel columns across a base of lightly dressed romaine allows diners to sample every component simultaneously when lifting portions with tongs from left to right. Standard salad spinners remove residual rinse water from romaine leaves efficiently; excess moisture prevents proper oil adhesion and results in a soggy presentation. Crumbled blue cheese introduces localized pockets of sharp flavor that balance the rich fats of the bacon and egg yolks.
