Need a simple refreshing summer salad for this upcoming weekend? I have been making this recipe for years, and it never gets old. Even guys [who normally pass on salad] ask, what is in this?! The dressing has 3 ingredients yet tastes complex and complicated. On a work night I will just make a batch in a bowl, however, for a recent dinner party I tried to get a little bit more creative by making individual salad boats. Each guest used tongs to pick up their own personal lemony green salad. This recipe can also be made a few hours in advance, which I recommend so that the flavors can really combine and all of the produce will be nice and cold. It’s a spin on an old Junior League classic that I have tweaked —- I guarantee your guests will be asking for the recipe.

Purchase my serving pieces and cookware I used to create this dish by clicking below:

• From World Market: the Woodblock Oval Platter [pictured above] and my Lemon Squeezer used for the dressing.
• From Williams-Sonoma: Salad Tongs (similar), OXO Salad Spinner, Monogrammed Cutting Board, and Glass Prep Bowls.
• My dinnerware for the evening was Vietri (beautiful handcrafted Italian serveware and china)  – purchase my pattern, Incanto, here.

Green Goddess Beau Monde Salad – serves 6 salad boats

Ingredients:

• If making a large bowl of salad use 1 bunch romaine, washed and torn into bite size pieces
• If making individual salad boats then omit the romaine and buy a head of Bibb lettuce (perfect sized leaves for making the boats)
• two avocados, diced
• 4 green onion stems, diced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 a cup finely chopped celery
• 4 lemons, juiced
• 1/3 of a cup shaved or shredded parmesan & a little extra for garnish
• 3 tablespoons Beau Monde seasoning salt (I buy McCormick’s)
• 1/4 cup canola/vegetable oil (extra virgin olive oil is too thick, do not use that as a substitution for this recipe)

Directions:

1. In a large prep or salad bowl whisk the oil, lemon juice and Beau Monde seasoning salt.

2. Add the green onion, celery, cucumber, avocado and the parmesan cheese to the bowl – mix this into the dressing.

3. Add the chopped Romain on top of this mixture but do not mix. (omit this step if making salad boats)

4. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for a good hour before serving. If making salad boats, then go ahead and wash and tear off Bibb lettuce leaves and store in the fridge until it’s time to build the boats and serve.

5. If making a large mixed salad then toss and add the rest of the parmesan when ready to serve. Right before my guests arrived I scooped the mixture into the Bibb lettuce boats and plated my serving platter and put it back into the fridge to chill before serving. The lemon will prevent the avocado from browning.

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