Another saporous recipe sent to SeductionMeals.com by Stefan in NYC: Fig 'n Frisee Four-Play Salad

"I know what all of you are thinking. Friggin' easy, right? Fore-play, right?  Well, it is easy, and this four-play will certainly prime your appetite for the other fore-play. Let's start out with our four-play: sweet, citric, crunchy, and crumbly. The sweetness is derived from figs and sun-dried tomatoes, both originating from the Mediterranean (birthplace of sensuality) and the Garden of Eden (we all know what the fig leaf was used for).  Lemon is next giving the salad and our taste buds subtle surprise (remember a little surprise goes a long way).  Next is texture; the crispness of the frisee and spinach (both must be fresh and chilled) along with the tender pine nuts imparts the crunchy, and the cheese and smoked fish imparts the crumbly. When the two textures, combined with sweetness and citric come together in your mouth....oh, behave!"


Fig 'n Frisee Four-Play Salad
Serves Two: Use large salad bowls

1 bunch of baby spinach leaves (1/2 bag)

1/2 head of frisee

1/4 cup of smoked peppered fish (bluefish or mackerel), coarsely flaked. If peppered can't be found, plain smoked is fine.

1/4 cup Papillon Roquefort cheese (or your favorite blue cheese), coarsely crumbled

5 figs, quartered

8 very fine julienned lemon peels

4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely julienned

2 tbsp pine nuts

8 - 12 pitted olives, green and black

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste


Salad Preperation

Coarsely tear the spinach leaves along with the frisee and soak in a salad spinner with iced water(a half dozen ice cubes should do the trick). Set aside.  Next, crumble the smoked peppered fish (skin removed) by hand keeping the pieces small bite size.  Set aside. Ditto the Roguefort cheese, keeping the pieces even smaller. Roguefort has a strong pungent taste, so you don't want to overwhelm your taste buds with pieces too large).  Set aside. 

Quarter the figs (slice length-wise once, turn keeping the fig together, and slice again); juliennethe lemon peels into very slender slivers, about 1 to 1 1/2 inch long.  Ditto the sun-dried tomatoes, thicker slivers, about the same length as the lemon peel.  Slice half the green and black olives width-wise, making nickel-size rings.  Set everything aside. 

Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, mix and set aside.

Drain the spinach and frisee making sure all ice has melted.  Spin to remove all water.  Spin again for the last drops.  At this point, I like to put the spinach and frisee and the Roguefort cheese, separate of course, in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to get it thoroughly chilled and make sure the cheese stays crumbly. 

While you're waiting, pour your guest and yourself a wonderful white wine, full bodied, and have an enchanting discussion on Mediterranean culture (skip Aristotle and gently go to olive trees and sensuality and, uh, you know what I mean!). Pour yourselves another glass of wine (next try Brigitte Bardot, "And God Created Woman", or "Zorba the Greek", Anthony Quinn, quote, "God is very understanding, but there is one thing he will never forgive!  When a woman calls a man to her bed and he will not go!  This I know, because a very wise old Turk once told me.").

Plating the Dish

Remove the spinach and frisee and Roguefort cheese from the refrigerator. Use two large plates or large shallow soup bowls and arrange the greens so as not to overflow the sides. Sprinkle over the greens two tablespoons of the oil/vinegar mixture.  Next, sprinkle on top the smoked fish and Roguefort cheese, the whole green and black olives, evenly arrange the figs on top, add the sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. 

Garnish with julienned lemon peels and sliced green and black olives on top.  It should look quite mesmerizing with all the different colors and shapes popping through. Sprinkle with two more tablespoons of oil/vinegar mixture on each plate.  A little fresh cracked pepper on top and Voila!  Enjoy!