Spiralized Beet Salad with Saffron Citronette and Candied Almonds

Sponsored by Balducci's Food Lovers Market

Spring has sprung at the farm markets. Now’s the time to fill a shopping bag full of tender lettuces, herbs, asparagus and spring onions. What about a fresh beet salad from Balducci’s Chef Jason Miller?

What's in Season:

• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Basil
• Beets
• Bok choy
• Broccoli raab
• Cilantro
• Collards
• Dill
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Mesclun mix
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Parsley
• Radishes
• Rhubarb
• Sage
• Sorrel
• Spinach
• Summer squash
• Swiss chard
• Turnips

Our culinary team has been working hard to open our wonderful new store in Reston Town Center, where customers can find restaurant quality chef-prepared options along with the gourmet groceries and quality meats and cheeses that they’ve come to expect from Balducci's. We've also developed new spring recipes that you can make at home or pick up freshly prepared from the Balducci’s team. I've been focusing on beets lately; such a great example of seasonal, spring produce that’s bursting with color and nutrition. Find whole or spiralized beets in any of our Balducci's produce sections. This new recipe uses spiralized beets and it’s a staff favorite— terrific alongside grilled meats or fish. – Chef Jason Miller, Corporate Executive Chef at Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market.

Spiralized Beet Salad with Saffron Citronette and Candied Almonds

Serves 4–6

• 1 pound spiralized beets (made fresh in-store)
• 1 cup fennel, sliced thin, reserving fronds for garnish

Saffron Citronette

• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 teaspoons saffron threads
• 1 tablespoon Balducci’s fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ½ shallot, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Candied Almonds

• 1 cup blanched slivered almonds
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup water
• ½ tablespoon butter, softened
• Parchment paper

Make the candied almonds by covering a baking sheet with parchment paper and spreading the softened butter on top of the paper; set aside. In a small saucepot, add the sugar and water, stir to dissolve and cook over medium-high heat until lightly golden. Add the slivered almonds and stir to coat completely. Pour onto the greased parchment paper, spreading apart and allowing to cool. Break apart the almonds once cooled.

Next, make the citronette by adding all ingredients in a small bowl and whisking until combined. Set aside to rest. Slice the fennel on a mandoline slicer, reserving the fronds. Next, combine the thinly sliced fennel in a large bowl with the spiralized beets and prepared citronette, allowing to them to marinate for a few minutes. To serve, top with fennel fronds and candied almonds.

Coconut Poached Chicken Bok Choy Salad

By Chef Johanna Hellrigl, Doi Moi Restaurant
Serves 4

For the chicken:
1 can coconut milk
2 red Thai chilies, minced
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
⅓ cup water
1 tablespoon grated galangal
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 kaffir lime leaf
1 pound chicken tenderloins

For the salad:
2 large bok choy, thinly sliced stems and a few of the leaves
1 cup mint leaves, chopped
1 cup Thai basil leaves, chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
½ cup green onion, sliced diagonally
½ cup raw cashews, toasted and roughly chopped
Salt, to taste

Dressing:
2 Thai red chilies, minced
2–3 tablespoons lime juice
¾  cup reserved coconut milk broth

To make the Coconut Poached Chicken, in medium-sized pot over medium-high heat add all of the ingredients for the except the chicken. Bring to boil, then add the chicken. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken and the broth to cool for at least 20 minutes.

In the meantime, prep salad ingredients and put them in a large bowl. (Chef’s note: Make sure that you slice all the white stems of the bok choy rather than the leaves. This will add texture to the salad.)

When the chicken has cooled, remove and shred it with 2 forks; add it to the salad bowl.

To make the dressing, crush the 2 Thai chilies with a mortar and pestle with 2 tablespoons of lime juice. For a less-spicy salad, simply reduce the number of chilies. Add the chile and lime mixture to ¾ cup of reserved coconut milk broth from the chicken.

Add as much dressing as you like to the salad and toss it until well coated. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Add an extra squeeze of lime juice or serve with lime wedges for extra acidity and freshness.

Serve immediately. If you are not serving immediately, add the fresh herbs right before serving.

Spring Radish Crudite with Fine Herb Aioli and Beurre de Citron

By Greg Lloyd, Executive Chef, Le Diplomate
Serves 4

The Crudite
3 Icicle radishes, cleaned and halved, tops trimmed to 1 inch
5 or 6 Easter Egg radishes, cleaned and halved, tops trimmed to 1 inch
4 French Breakfast radishes, cleaned, tops trimmed to 1 inch

The Pickle
1 cup water
½ cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted

The Butter
½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon Tabasco

The Aioli Fines Herbs
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup parsley
½ cup chervil
½ cup chives
¼ cup tarragon, picked and blanched
1 clove roasted garlic (optional)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons kosher salt (2 teaspoons for blanching, 2 teaspoons for aioli)

Clean and prep the radishes, hold them in cold water until pickled. Next, make the pickling liquid by combining all ingredients and bringing to boil. Drain the radishes and pour pickling liquid over radishes. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Place the cubed butter in a food processor; mix until smooth, then add the remaining ingredients. Set aside.

To make the aioli: In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to boil, and also prepare an ice water bath. Blanch all of the herbs together for 30 seconds (the salt will preserve the bright green color), drain the herbs and then transfer the herbs to the ice water bath to shock the blanched herbs, setting the color and stopping the cooking process.

In a food processor or blender, add the herbs and blend until fine. (You may need to add a few small ice cubes to get the mixture going. This will also keep the mixture cool while processing.) Add mayonnaise and lemon juice until smooth and green. Adjust the seasoning and plate.