bright spot

It’s been a crazy few weeks. Outpatient surgery, flying out west with my puppy, celebrating my birthday in LA with my wonderful girls, Thanksgiving full house in our desert home, then a puddle jump back across the county to attend a business meeting in New York City. We had dinner at Brasserie Ruhlmann across from Rockefeller Center where they were getting ready for the big tree lighting the next night. While beautiful, one could feel the chaos mounting in the air.

With the holidays in full force sometimes what you really crave is a different type of green. My dear friend Barbara brought me dinner after my recent surgery. Her butternut squash soup the perfect tonic but what blew me away was the salad that accompanied it. Baby greens with blanched asparagus, creamy goat cheese, toasted sunflower seeds and this radiant dressing. The lemony herby mix instantly brightened my spirits. In my note to her I thanked her for the meal and most importantly her unwavering friendship at the end I threw in a codicil that what I craved was her recipe for that fabulous dressing. She instantly emailed it to me. What a friend!

Here is Barbara’s lemon chive dressing.

Chop fresh chives.

Then tarragon.

Put the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender and emulsify.

Add the chopped chives and tarragon and pulse until combined.

This can be made days ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate. Make sure to shake it well before serving.

To recreate this special salad cut thin asparagus spears into 2-inch pieces, steam until just tender, then refresh in an ice bath and drain well and set aside.

Toss a handful of mixed baby greens with one-plus tablespoon of dressing.

Top with a generous tablespoon of creamy goat cheese and the asparagus spears.

Top with a sprinkle of roasted sunflower seeds.

While you are hanging your holiday greens this salad, like dear friends, will most certainly brighten your spirits.