Little Gem Salad With Lemon Cream And Hazelnuts

By GadgetGirl

Wait, whipped cream in a salad? Yep. This rich, bright lemon cream is perfectly suited for Little Gems. “The cream takes over your whole mouth,” says chef Joshua McFadden, “while the lemon juice acts as a bridge.”

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup blanched hazelnuts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 6 heads of Little Gem (about 1 pound total), cores removed, leaves separated
• 4 small carrots (about 4 ounces), scrubbed, thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1 1/2 ounces SarVecchio or Parmesan
• Flaky sea salt

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from bonappetit.com

Preparation

Step 1

Combine garlic, cream, and ½ tsp. pepper in a small bowl; season with salt. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool before chopping coarsely.
Strain cream mixture into a large bowl and add oil. Whip to soft peaks, then whisk in 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Toss lettuce, carrots, mint, and half of hazelnuts with remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in another large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add a few dollops of lemon cream and gently toss to coat.

Spoon remaining lemon cream onto a platter and top with salad. Shave cheese over salad and top with cracked pepper, sea salt, and remaining hazelnuts.