So maybe a Little Gem salad is cliché at this point, but this has been on our menu from the very beginning, and it's the ultimate example of our mission to do the family-restaurant classics, like Caesar salad, in a bigger, better way. We take our croutons, crush 'em up, and toss 'em in the salad, so just about every bite has crunch. I love croutons - especially when they're fresh and soaked with olive oil and herbs - and a lot of them. So we indulge my crouton obsession by making small crumbles that get into every bite. Then we drench the whole thing in buttermilk crème fraîche dressing so it's slightly gloppy, maybe even overdressed. -Paul Kahan
From La Boîte: This salad is such a great expression of Paul's balance of hearty and refined. We recommend giving a healthy pinch of PK (which stands for Paul Kahan) to finish each portion of salad. It's a beautiful blend with Alleppo pepper, fleur de sel, and lemon. The light crunch of breadcrumbs in every bite of delicious, creamy, fresh salad makes it really addictive. Plan ahead and keep the crunchy and herby crumbs on hand for salad, fish and roasted vegetables.
1 small bulb fennel, halved lengthwise cored, and thinly sliced
3 healthy-size watermelon or French breakfast radishes, thinly sliced
12 leaves basil, torn
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Bread Crumbs
We really like making our bread crumbs like this. Heating the herbes de Provence in the butter and oil brings out the herbs’ aroma, which isn’t too overpowering – just nice and toasty and great as a base for topping with other flavors. Toss them into salads or over anything that might need a little crunch, such as grilled meat or fish.
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
To make the salad:
Remove the leaves of lettuce from the heads and place in a large serving bowl.
Add the fennel, radish, basil, and bread crumbs and mix together.
Pour over the dressing and toss to coat – the salad should be heavily dressed.
Bread Crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat, combine the butter and olive oil. Add the Herbes de Provence. Season with salt to taste.
Remove the crust form the sourdough bread (it doesn’t have to be perfect; you can leave some on there) and tear the slices into bite-size pieces. Put the bread in the bowl and toss to coat with the herbed liquid. Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.
Transfer the bread to a food processer. Blend the bread into crumbs, then transfer them back to the baking sheet. Toast for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy. The bread crumbs will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
