ffwd: café style grated carrot salad
I want to love carrot salad. I’ve tried lots of variations on it, and I just can’t get the right mix of flavors to tickle my palette. I was hopeful about this week’s French Friday with Dorie’s recipe: café style grated carrot salad, where the grated carrots are dressed with a honey mustard dressing. Optional ingredients are suggested. In the spring, I tried it with chopped chives, but this time I went with chopped toasted walnuts.
CSA Carrots
The salad is pretty, a burst of orange to complement most summer plates. The dressing is tangy, but also a little cloying at the same time. The nutty flavor of the walnuts was nice, but not enough to wow me. You can’t beat the easy of putting this salad together. I shook the dressing up in a jar, grated the carrots in the Cuisinart, toasted the nuts stovetop for a few minutes, and voilà! Not bad, but not the ultimate carrot salad I seek. J-OK (just OK) as my sister Jennifer says.
I don’t really have anything else to say about the carrot salad. I will show off my Quiche Caprese that I made in honor of Julia Child’s t100th birthday on Wednesday, August 15. Only the custard base was Julia’s recipe, from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The rest is just an inspired tribute. I whisked a tablespoon of pesto into the custard. Then, I arranged sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella over a partial-baked pastry crust. The custard was poured over and baked until set. I had enough for a full tart plus a little tartlet. A slice accompanied by some carrot salad made a colorful plate.
Happy 100th Birthday, Julia!
Happy French Friday, all!
Posted on 17 August 2012, in French Fridays with Dorie and tagged carrots, French Fridays with Dorie, Julia Child, salads. Bookmark the permalink. 16 Comments.
A Plateful of Happiness 
What a lovely quiche and salad – and yes. they do go together perfectly!
I am glad that I am not the only one a little less than excited about the carrot salad…
I like your little tartlet :-)
Have a great weekend.
sorry you weren’t a big fan of the carrot salad – i guess we can’t love them all….your quiche looks excellent. what a fun summery idea!
Wish the salad would’ve turned out better for you. I’ll take a tray full of those quiches, though – so delicious looking! :)
You are my quiche-making hero, Becky – I’m always inspired to make one when you post them. I harvested a bunch of Swiss chard yesterday and I think I might revisit your Swiss chard quiche recipe.
I enjoyed the carrot salad, but a slaw is a slaw to me – something to enjoy, but not get too excited about.
Betsy, Carrot salad has long been a favorite of my family…it was very popular in the delis of Long Island years ago. I really enjoyed this recipe…but I almost like my old stand by better.
Your carrot salad looks wonderful, but your quiche looks mouth watering!!
Your salad looks wonderful. Sorry, it wasn’t the carrot salad you were hoping for. Have a nice weekend:)
I have never had carrot salad before, and I liked it! Your quiche looks devine.
Your quiche looks fantastic! I kind of allowed the birthday to slip by,,, my bad.
I think your salad looks great. Though I have to say that for me, it’s really just something to serve in contrast to something else. Yummy, but not amazing.
I “thought” I wouldn’t like this so I made the scallops instead….but now I’m convinced I might enjoy this salad. Sorry you weren’t a fan, but your tart looks excellent!
I like the idea of toasting the walnuts. Sorry it wasn’t your favorite. I’d really like your quiche recipe, though! Have a great weekend!
Betsy, nice presentation, Love your choice of plate, again – we loved this salad, always loved carrot salad. I can see that you baked a mini Caprese Quiche for Julia, nice looking treat. I baked her a cake using one of my recipes and followed her footssteps in my hometown, who would have thought that she used to live in my neighbourhood for two years…
Have a good Sunday!
Your quiche looks delicious, wonderful idea. I’m sure Julia would have approved:-)
Sorry to hear that the carrot salad didn’t wow you, but it’s bound to happen on ocassion.
Hi. I made carrot salad also this weekend. I added a little cinnamon and golden raisins. Had nice visit with Sheryl Paul Spencer his friend Louie from London and sheryls friend Nancy.
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You can send that carrot salad right on over here…we loved it and we would happily eat yours, it looks beautiful and delicious. Nice quiche as well…very pretty.
I just got to your Post(s) – FFWD and your tribute to Julia. I’ve made the carrot salad often – it fills me up when I am dieting (kinda all the time) and carrots make me smart and the salad is pretty. I’m sorry it doesn’t light your fire but I find the “J-OK” a good description for “it’s good enuf” which is my go-to phrase for J-OK. What I really enjoyed reading about was your Caprese Quiche, a wonderful tribute to Julia’s talent and your creativity.