A Dash of This and a Dash of That Are All it Takes to Sass up Your Salads by Lisa Messinger on Creators.com

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A Dash of This and a Dash of That Are All it Takes to Sass up Your Salads

It's not the orange zest that Food Network star Sunny Anderson considers the secret ingredient in her quick apple, pear and toasted walnut salad. Rather a dash of salt — preferably sea or flavored — and a quick grind of black pepper are what give it pizzazz.

Although it's unusual for many home cooks to season their greens-based or fruit salads, that's the touch that fully brings it to life and puts it over the edge flavor-wise, say lots of chefs like Anderson. She was one of New York City's top caterers before helming a multitude of Food Network specials and series, such as "Cooking for Real." In that show, she specializes in easy touches that create memorable finishes.

Woman's World magazine recently echoed that with the top tip in their "Upgrade Your Salad" article being, "Don't forget to season your greens — a tiny pinch of sea salt or flavored salt is the secret ingredient in many delicious restaurant salads."

Once you are dazzled by the payoffs of those simple additions, tweaks can be even more fun. Five peppercorn blends, for instance (products often include black, white, pink, green and allspice), give just a bit more of an exotic twist.

Or prepare your own easy seasoning blends for memorable homemade salads, like:

— Curry powder and prepared mustard sprinkled on wilted spinach greens that have been topped with sliced toasted almonds and diced mango.

— Cinnamon, nutmeg and ground pink peppercorns over a mix of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and pumpernickel croutons that have been dressed in olive oil.

— Vanilla salt and saffron salt (gourmet stores and many supermarkets carry lots of exotic salts) tossed atop sliced cumbers and heirloom tomatoes that have been lightly tossed with an olive oil vinaigrette.

On her syndicated talk show, Rachael Ray recently showed how easy it is to mix up your own salt blends. Just combine 1 cup kosher salt with 1 tablespoon dried seasoning or, if you are using dried herbs, make it 2 tablespoons for every 1 cup kosher salt.

Here's one of Ray's salads that, though loaded with showoff fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs, makes it clear how salt and pepper can be the essential finishing touches:

SEASONED HEIRLOOM TOMATO & HONEYDEW SALAD

1 small red onion

2 cups seedless honeydew chunks in bite-size pieces

Heirloom tomatoes, 3 medium or 2 pints small, cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley tops, a couple of handfuls, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pita chips or crisps, for garnish

Yields 4 servings.

Peel the onion and quarter it lengthwise.

Thinly slice the onion and combine with the honeydew, tomatoes, parsley and mint. Dress the salad with lots of salt and pepper and the extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with the pita chips or crisps.

— Adapted from "The Rachael Ray Show"

SEASONED APPLE & PEAR SALAD

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice

1 orange, zested

1/2 cup raisins

4 apples, preferably use 2 to 3 different kinds

2 pears, preferably red and green

2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt (preferably sea or flavored), to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Yields 6 servings.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, orange juice, zest and raisins. Core and cube apples and pears. Add fruit and walnuts to a bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss well to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

— Sunny Anderson "Cooking for Real"/Food Network

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.