Chef Bradley Ogden Tosses Farm Fresh Salad for Luncheon

Creates colorful, tasty collection for Celebrity Chef Luncheon at Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert

JIM POWERS El Paseo, Restaurants

Growing up in Michigan, chef Bradley Ogden was accustomed to hand-picked fruits and vegetables.

Ogden took a colorful assortment of vegetables from his signature farm-to-table cuisine background to create a stunning salad March 22 for nearly 300 guests at the celebrity chef luncheon to kick off the fourth annual Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert.

Mixing asparagus, carrots, radishes and other root vegetables, Ogden tossed in lamb’s lettuce and topped it with a green garlic mousseline and an onion and citrus vinaigrette.

“Mousseline is normally used in pastries and is very light,” Ogden said of the creamy topping.

Ogden used just the tops of the asparagus, but recommended to the audience that the stems could be saved and used for soup stock.

“It’s better to roast than blanch the vegetables to retain their proteins,” said Ogden, a two-time James Beard winner.

When it came to tossing the salad in the dressing, Ogden suggested “almost tossing the bowl” to ensure even coverage.

The accompanying wine was a Michele Chiarlo, Gavi, out of Piedemonte, Italy, from Kobrand Wines and Spirits. Mike Biagi, regional manager for Kobrand, said the very light citrus wine with a light acid in the back acted as a great accompaniment to the salad.

“Wines should never be the star,” Biagi said.

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