Secrets to the Perfect Panzanella Salad
As summer winds down, the gardens at Ste. Anne’s Spa are still giving us plenty to savour. September is an especially beautiful time for tomatoes, when the season’s harvest is ripe and vibrant. It’s the perfect time to enjoy them at their best, and one of our favourite ways to do so is in our Panzanella Salad.
Fresh, colourful and absolutely delicious, this guest-favourite dish makes the most of tomatoes and can be easily replicated at home so that you can bring some of that Ste. Anne’s charm to your loved ones!
Our Executive Chef, Michael Stevens-Hughes, has shared the recipe and his tips and tricks for ensuring a beautiful and savoury dish.
Chef Michael’s Tips & Tricks:- Use a variety of tomatoes. Different varieties bring their own flavours, colours and textures to the salad, giving each bite a little something different.
- Slice your tomatoes before salting them. Cutting the tomatoes exposes the flesh, allowing the salt to draw out more of their natural juices. Those juices are important as they are a key component of the dressing.
- Let the sourdough go stale. Rather than simply toasting fresh bread in the oven, let your sourdough out to naturally dry and stale. The drier bread absorbs the dressing beautifully, softening just enough while still keeping texture.
- Add a touch of sugar to balance the acidity. A small amount of sweetness helps round out the acidity of the tomatoes and dressing without making the salad taste sweet.
- Try pink peppercorns for a lighter finish. Compared with traditional black peppercorns, pink peppercorns bring a brighter, more delicate flavour with citrusy notes that pair well with tomatoes.
- Emulsify your dressing slowly. Using equal parts canola and olive oil, add the oil little by little while mixing. Slowly incorporating it helps create a smooth, well-emulsified dressing.
- Give the bread a head start. Pre-drizzle some of the dressing over your croutons before assembling the salad. This gives the bread time to soak up all that flavour and soften to that signature Panzanella texture.
- Keep the basil pieces generous. Rather than finely chopping the basil, leave the basil leaves in larger pieces. It gives the herb more presence and creates fresh bursts of basil throughout each bite.
- 2 Tbsps Champagne Vinegar
- 2 cups Canola Oil
- 1 cup Olive Oil
- 3 Tbsps Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
- 3.5 Tbsps Shallot, minced
- 2 Tbsps White Sugar
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper
- 3.5 cups sliced, Salted Tomatoes
- ¼ whole Red onion, sliced
- 3 Slices Stale Bread
- 24 pieces Fresh Basil Leaves
- 2 cups Arugula
- 2 Tbsp Herb Oil
- 2 cups Frisée
- 3/4 cup of Dressing
- Step 1
After cutting and salting your evenings tomatoes for panzanella, reserve all of the juice to use in this recipe.
- Step 2
Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the oils in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Step 3
Transfer to a litre container and with an immersion blender, slowly emulsify the oils in.
- Step 4
Check for seasoning because the tomato water can be salty.
- Step 5
Add your pepper and salt if necessary.
- Step 6
Label and store responsibly.
- Step 1
Prep your tomatoes by washing and slicing them into quarters, and generously salting them before setting aside for 10 minutes
- Step 2
In a new bowl, begin breaking apart the dried sourdough into bite-sized pieces & set aside
- Step 3
While waiting for the tomatoes, mince the garlic and shallots
- Step 4
Once the tomatoes are ready, drain the tomato water into a blender and set the tomatoes aside
- Step 5
Thinly slice red onions and add them to the bowl with the sourdough, as well as chopped fresh basil
- Step 6
Assemble the salad by tossing the sourdough mixture in the dressing and mixing in the sliced tomatoes from earlier
- Step 7
Toss the arugula and frisée with the dressing before plating as the salad base, then layer the tomatoes & top with sourdough mixture
- Step 8
Drizzle oregano oil around the salad & sprinkle with peppercorns
