Baran’s 2239 BLAT Salad
Chef Jason Baran
Baran’s 2239
Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Fresh avocados are available year round, making this salad easy to execute during the shoulder season in March. BLAT stands for bacon, lettuce avocado and tomato, and chef Jason Baran showcases those four ingredients, adding cucumber and radishes to the mix. A creamy blue cheese and dill dressing and housemade croutons offer welcome counterpoints.
Ingredients
Croutons
¾ lb. loaf French or brioche bread, cut into cubes
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Blue cheese and dill dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup blue cheese crumbles
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. hot sauce
3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
BLAT Salad
3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cups sliced cucumber
¾ cup sliced radishes
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt
12 heads frisee
3 large, ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and diced
6 oz. bacon, cooked and chopped
Steps
1. For croutons: Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss bread cubes with oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Spread bread cubes on sheet pan in single layer. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Set aside and let cool.
2. For dressing: In bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well mixed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. For salad: In large bowl, combine cherry tomato halves, cucumber, radish, lemon juice, olive oil and salt; toss to combine. Let marinate for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Cut bottoms off frisee and separate the leaves. In mixing bowl, combine frisee, avocado, bacon, blue cheese crumbles and 12 ounces dressing until well distributed. Season with salt and pepper and add more dressing, if needed.
5. To serve, on each salad plate, layer tomato-cucumber mixture and frisee mixture; repeat layers. Top each salad with 1/3 cup croutons.
Photograph courtesy of California Avocado Commission