Chapter 4

Salads and
Garnishing

© Copyright 2011 by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)

and published by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Ingredients and
Parts of a Salad
 The three keys to ensuring a quality salad are:
 The freshness of ingredients
 Having all the ingredients blend together in harmony
 Making sure the salad is appealing to the eye
 The four basic parts to most salads are:
1. The base of a salad is usually a layer of salad greens that line
the plate or bowl in which the salad will be served.
2. The body of the salad consists of the main ingredients.
3. Garnish enhances the appearance of the salad while also
complementing the overall taste.
4. Salad dressings are liquids or semi-liquids used to flavor
salads.

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 Types of Salad
 Proper handwashing is critical before preparing salads.
 The five main types of salad are:
1. The two types of green salad are tossed and composed (or
mixed). Prepare all ingredients individually for either salad.
2. Prepare the bound salad from cooked primary ingredients such
as meat, poultry, fish, egg, or starch such as potato, pasta, or rice.
3. Prepare a vegetable salad from cooked and/or raw vegetables.
4. Prepare a fruit salad from fruit using a slightly sweet or
sweet/sour dressing to enhance the flavor.
5. A combination salad incorporates a combination of any of the
four salad types.

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 Salads and Service
 Salads can be used in five ways during the service courses:
1. A starter salad, served as an appetizer to the main meal, is
smaller in portion and consists of light, fresh, crisp ingredients to
stimulate the appetite.
2. Serve an accompaniment salad, or side salad, with the main
course of the meal, and make it light and flavorful, but not too rich.
3. Main course salads are large enough to serve as a full meal and
may contain protein ingredients, such as meat, poultry, seafood,
egg, beans, or cheese.
4. The intermezzo salad is intended to be a palate cleanser after a
rich dinner and before dessert.
5. Dessert salads are usually sweet and often contain fruits,
sweetened gelatin, nuts, cream, and whipped cream. Waldorf salad
is a popular dessert salad. It is a mixed fruit salad with nuts and a
mild dressing.

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Cleaning and Storing Salads
 The key to preparing good-tasting, interesting, attractive
salads is to start with clean, fresh ingredients.
 Always thoroughly wash greens because dirt can lodge
between leaves. The best way to clean greens is to dip them
in and out of cold water.
 After the greens are clean, proper storage is essential to
keeping them fresh.
 Proper storage ensures the quality of the product served to
the guest.
 All labels on stored containers should include the name of
the item, weight, date received, name of person storing the
product, and the original use-by date, if any.

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 Ingredient Facts
 When preparing fruit in advance for a salad, dip, sprinkle or coat
it with lemon juice to prevent it from browning or discoloring.
 Raw pineapple and raw papaya should never be added to a
gelatin (Jello) salad or mold. Enzymes in the fruit prevent the
gelatin from setting up (getting firm).
 Loose salad greens should be stored between 36F and 41F.
This keeps them crisp and fresh, but prevents freezing. (Greens
don’t freeze well at all!)
 Unopened produce can be stored for one to three days before it
goes bad.
 Mustard is one condiment that is often added to mayonnaise-
based dressings.

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 Types of Greens
 Iceberg is a pale green head lettuce. It is America’s
favorite (most popular) lettuce.
 Romaine is a long heading lettuce that is dark green with
sturdy leaves. It is the lettuce used for Caesar Salad.
 Curly endive is also called frisee´ and is slightly bitter. It
is leafy and makes and attractive accent in salads.
 Boston, bibb, green leaf and red leaf lettuce are tender
greens with a sweeter, mild flavor.
 Arugula and Raddichio are strong flavored lettuces
usually used as accents in mixed salads.

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 Dressing Components
 Vinaigrettes are a very old traditional dressing for
greens.
 Different oils and vinegars will give different flavors to
vinaigrettes.
 Italian vinaigrettes will use extra virgin olive oil.
 Canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean and peanut oil will
have milder flavor in a dressing.
 Peanut oil and soybean oil must be disclosed on menus
because peanuts and soy are common allergens.
 Canola oil is considered healthy because it contains
omega-3 fatty acids.

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 Vinegars
 Strong vinegars are white vinegar and apple cider vinegar.
Cider vinegar is actually made from apples.
 Mild vinegars include rice and rice wine vinegars and balsamic
vinegar.
 Balsamic vinegar is Italian in origin. It is aged for long periods
in barrels to give it a distinct dark color and sweeter flavor.
 White wine and red wine vinegars are popular vinegars for
salad dressings in America.
 Sherry vinegar is made from sherry and is traditional in Spain.
 Vinegars can also be flavored with herbs like tarragon or even
garlic and onion or hot peppers.

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 Common salads
 A side salad is very common on menus. It is generally lettuce with
carrot, cucumber and tomato and a choice of dressing.
 Chef’s salad is a main dish salad (it also is a combination salad). It
can vary, but is usually lettuce with ham, turkey, cheese, boiled
eggs, tomatoes and cucumber. A choice of dressing is usually
offered.
 Caesar salad is romaine lettuce with croutons. It is dressed with
Caesar dressing. The dressing is flavored with lemon, Parmesan,
garlic and anchovies.
 Cobb salad is mixed greens (iceberg or romaine, endive and
watercress) with chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato, boiled egg,
chives and blue cheese. It is dressed with a red-wine vinaigrette. It
was invented at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood.

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 Section 4.1 Summary
 Lettuce is frequently used as a salad base, but any number
of ingredients can be used in a salad.
 The basic parts of a salad are the base, the body, the
garnish, and the dressing.
 The five basic types of salad are green salads (tossed or
composed), bound, vegetable, fruit, and combination.
 The five basic salads that can be served throughout the
course of a meal are starter, accompaniment, main course,
intermezzo, and dessert.
 To clean salads, remove the outer leaves of greens, pull
apart the remaining leaves, and rinse them thoroughly to
remove any and all dirt, grit, and insects.

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 Types of Dressing
 The primary salad dressings are:
 Vinaigrette dressing in its simplest form is made of oil and
vinegar. Vinaigrettes are lighter, thinner dressings often used on
more delicate ingredients, such as greens and vegetables.
 Compared to the suspension mixture of regular vinaigrettes,
emulsified vinaigrettes have gone through the emulsion
process. An emulsion is a mixture of ingredients that
permanently stays together, unlike a suspension that eventually
separates.
 Mayonnaise-based dressings are typically creamy dressings,
such as Russian, thousand island, and blue cheese.
 Mayonnaise is the most stable and thickest emulsified dressing.
It contains a higher ratio of oil to vinegar and a greater quantity
of egg yolks than is required for emulsified vinaigrette.

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 Dips
A dip is a flavorful mixture that accompanies certain foods.

 Like salad dressings, dips should complement or

enhance a food’s flavor. Dips can be served hot or cold.
 A dip must have the proper consistency. A dip should be
soft enough to scoop up with a cracker, chip, or
vegetable, but thick enough to stay on it. Dips often
thicken if they are held in the refrigerator.
 Ethnic variations of special salads and accompaniments
are very popular as dips:
 Guacamole: Avocado dip (Aztec origin).
 Salsa: Peppers, such as jalapeño or serrano, onions, and
tomatoes (Mexico).
 Hummus: Chick pea with garlic and tahini (Middle East).

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 Section 4.2 Summary
 The four main salad dressings are vinaigrette, emulsified
vinaigrette, mayonnaise-based, and mayonnaise.
 An emulsion is the permanent blending of unlike
ingredients, such as oil and vinegar.
 Vinaigrettes are lighter dressings used on more delicate
ingredients, like salad greens.
 A dip is a mixture served as an accompaniment to certain
foods. Like salad dressings, dips are meant to complement
or enhance the foods they are served with, not hide the
flavor of the food.
 Salsa, guacamole, and hummus are examples of popular
ethnic dips.

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 Garnishing:
Why and How
 Proper garnish complements the main dish in color,
flavor, and texture.
 Garnish should enhance the flavor of a dish.
 Preparation of garnishes is an essential part of the dish.
 Some garnishes can be prepared in bulk for use when
plating and finishing both hot and cold items.
 What garnish to use depends not only on the food being
served, but also on how the food is laid out on the plate.
 The purpose of plate presentation is to enhance the eye
appeal of the food.

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 Garnishing Dessert
 Consider the flavor, texture, and appearance of the item
being garnished when garnishing desserts.
 Numerous items can be used to garnish desserts
properly:
 Fruit coulis in many varieties
 Whipped cream, flavored and unflavored
 Frosted mint leaves
 Chocolate work in the form of string work or formed pieces
 Spun sugar work
 Sweet sauces
 The overall impact of the garnish on the appearance of
the dessert is driven by the way the garnish is presented.

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 Garnishing Soups
 Garnishes for soups are classified into
three groups:
 Garnishes in the soup are the actual
ingredients. All garnishes must enhance
both the flavor and appearance of the soup.
 Add toppings to soups as a garnish as well.
Place any topping on the soup immediately
before service because it will either melt or
sink to the bottom.
 Garnishes in the form of accompaniments
with soups include crackers, melba toast,
corn chips, breadsticks, cheese straws,
whole-grain wafers, and gougères.

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 Types of Garnishes
 Bouquetiere is a garnish of vegetables
 Fermiere is a garnish of carrots, turnips, onions and celery
cut into slices
 Dubarry is a garnish of cauliflower
 Lyonnaise is a garnish of onions
 Printaniere is a garnish of young spring vegetables
 Provencale is a garnish of
 Jardiniere is a garnish of pickled vegetables
 Parmentier is a garnish of potatoes
 Clamart is a garnish of peas (either whole or pureed)
 Doria is a garnish of cucumber (often fried)

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 Garnish techniques
 Frosted grapes are a simple and elegant way to garnish.
They are made with grapes, water and sugar.
 Cucumbers can be turned into fans. Begin by scoring the
cucumber from end to end with a channel knife.
 Strawberries are also a popular item to turn into a fan for
a garnish.

 Garnish should complement (or go well with) the flavors

of the dish.
 Garnish should always be edible (you can eat it). Non-
edible garnish is a nonstarter.

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 Random stuff on the test
 Dauphinoise is a dish of potatoes, cream, garlic and
cheese.
 Florentine dishes are Italian in origin and always feature
spinach as an ingredient.

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 Section 4.3 Summary
 Enjoyment of a meal is affected by how it looks. If food has
eye appeal, then enjoyment of the meal will go up.
 Garnishing properly is essential when presenting food. The
garnish will complement the main dish in color, flavor, and
texture.
 Garnish enhances the flavor of a dish as well as its eye
appeal.
 Garnishing desserts requires consideration of the flavor,
texture, and appearance of the item being garnished.
 Garnishes for soups are classified into three groups—
garnishes in the soup, garnishes topping the soup, and
garnishes that accompany the soup on the side.

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