By Diane Rossen Worthington
I had heard that Portland, Maine, was filled with amazing restaurants and bakeries, and I couldn’t wait to check them out.
On my visit, I stayed at the unique Press Hotel. Among the many dishes and excellent wines I sampled, this cauliflower and apple salad stood out.
The cauliflower florets are roasted until light golden brown and cooled. Sliced, crisp seasonal apples along with fresh green parsley leaves, toasted pine nuts and shards of pecorino cheese are mixed together to create a unique cold weather salad. The preserved lemon drizzle, a blend of preserved lemon and mayonnaise with lots of cracked black pepper and the faint licorice flavor of tarragon, is the finishing topping on this versatile salad. I like to serve this as a first course or as component on a salad buffet. The best part is that it is best served at room temperature.
Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including “Seriously Simple Parties,” and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.
