2013 EMMY Awards Little Gem Lettuce Salad

Dine with the Stars. Executive Chef Joachim Splichal and his dynamic team of Chefs including Executive Chef Alec Lester, serve over 3,000 guests for the Primetime EMMY Awards Governor’s Ball. Throw your own at-home EMMY party and serve this delicious salad which is the exact recipe they will be serving the night of the EMMY Awards – Sunday, September 22, 2013 5pmPT / 8pmET on CBS.

Roasted beets are tossed with sherry vinegar, maple syrup, and olive oil and sprinkled with sunflower seeds. The salad consists of little gem lettuce, marinated sun-ripened tomatoes, basil chips and the roasted beets. Little gem lettuce is similar to hearts of romaine and butter lettuce. Often hard to find at stores, little gem lettuce is popular at farmer’s markets.

Suggested wine pairing:
2011 Beaulieu Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay

Beaulieu Vineyards, official wine of 2013 EMMY Awards
Beaulieu Vineyards, official wine of 2013 EMMY Awards

In this calorie-slashing collection, The Bikini Chef® Susan Irby offers recipes for switching up ingredients that keep calories to a minimum. Complete with serving-size suggestions and “Skinny Secret” shortcuts to trim calories in little ways, here you’ll get expertly crafted recipes that include offerings for every meal of the day!

Recipe

2013 EMMY Awards Little Gem Lettuce Salad
Soups & Salads
Dine with the Stars. Executive Chef Joachim Splichal and his dynamic team of Chefs including Executive Chef Alec Lester, serve over 3,000 guests for the Primetime EMMY Awards Governor's Ball.

Ingredients

4 heads little gem lettuce
4 baby yellow beets
4 baby pink beets
4 baby red beets
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 cup virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons cider maple syrup
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
3 baby heirloom tomatoes
1 small loaf ciabatta or rustic bread
16 leaves fresh basil
12 bocconcini mozzarella balls
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 cups coconut oil for frying

Instructions

Roast beets.
Heat oven to 350* and roast until beets are cooked through, fork tender, about 40 minutes.
Let beets cool and peel and cut into quarters.
Mix together sherry vinegar, maple syrup, and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil.
Toss beets in sherry vinegar mixture and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
Make croutons by slicing bread as thinly as possible.
Drizzle generously with olive oil.
Toast in 350* oven till crisp and light golden in color.
Slice 4 basil leaves into very fine strips.
Cut the bocconcini mozzarella balls in half.
Season with sea salt and pepper and a few drops of olive oil.
Cut the tomatoes in half and season with a little sea salt and pepper and a few drops of olive oil.
Mix balsamic vinegar, garlic, sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk in remaining olive oil.
Heat coconut oil to 375*. Fry basil leaves until crisp, about 10 seconds, and season chips with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Cut the gem lettuce into quarters lengthwise and place 4 on each plate.
Place the tomatoes, mozzarella, and beets on salad.
Top with the croutons and fried basil.
Spoon balsamic vinaigrette on top and serve.

Serves

4

Preparation Time (hrs/min)

0, 30

Cooking Time (hrs/min)

1, 20

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