The best brunch salad in metro Atlanta is the pear, beets and burrata salad at the Select. I doubt we could pull it off at home, so we’ll stick to ordering it at the restaurant, but I’d love to know how they make it. Will they share their recipe?
— Leigh Bessey, Atlanta
Michael Kunz, general manager of the Select, was happy to share the recipe for this combination of wine-poached pears, roasted beets and creamy burrata, the creation of executive chef Remi Granger. “It’s a perfect appetizer balancing sweetness, acidity, richness and nuttiness. It’s also a great showcase for beets. We have a lot of people say, ‘I don’t like beets, but I love this!’”
Making this salad requires preparing a number of components. The poached pears can be made a day ahead, while the other components should be prepared just before serving. The liquid remaining after poaching the pears can be refrigerated in a covered container and used again. Kunz says other uses for the poached pears include serving them with pound cake, cheesecake or vanilla ice cream or to top French toast or granola. When you’re finished poaching pears, add the remaining cooking liquid to sparkling water for a fun spritzer.
Shiro shoyu, which is used in the vinaigrette, is white soy sauce, available at stores carrying Japanese groceries such as the Buford Highway Farmers Market.
The restaurant dresses the roasted beets with long pepper oil. Long pepper is sometimes called Indian long pepper. It’s available online and at stores carrying Indian groceries. Or substitute black peppercorn oil, made in the same way the restaurant makes its long pepper oil. Heat the long pepper or peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat, about 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer long peppers or peppercorns to a small bowl and cover with extra-virgin olive oil. Cover bowl and let sit overnight. The next day, strain out and discard the long peppers or peppercorns. Store the oil in a covered container on the counter to use in this recipe or as a finishing oil for pasta or pizza or as a dipping oil for bread.
The Select’s Pear, Beets & Burrata Salad
- 4 peeled pears, stems removed
- 1 (750-milliliter) bottle gewürztraminer wine
- 1 teaspoon black cardamom pods
- 1 cup black balsamic vinegar
- 1 medium red beet
- 1 medium yellow beet
- 1 medium candy-striped beet
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for seasoning burrata
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
- Hot pepper oil, to taste (see note)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 4 (4-ounce) burrata balls
- Freshly ground black pepper
- White Balsamic Shoyu Vinaigrette (see recipe)
- Basil Oil (see recipe), for garnish
- Edible flowers and leaves such as violas and nasturtiums, for garnish (optional)
- Poach pears: Place pears in a saucepan large enough to hold all in one layer. Add wine and cardamom pods. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit inside saucepan and place over pears. Bring liquid to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover saucepan. Cook pears just until a knife can be easily inserted into the pears, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove from heat, leave parchment in place and cool, uncovered, in cooking liquid. May be made ahead of time and refrigerated in poaching liquid in a covered container. (In this case, remove the parchment.)
- Make balsamic reduction: In a small saucepan, bring vinegar to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture has reduced to about 1/4 cup, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Roast beets: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove tops from beets and wash. Arrange beets in a small roasting pan and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt. Add water and cover roasting pan tightly with lid or foil. Roast 45 minutes to an hour or until beets are tender. Remove from oven and using a towel to hold beets, use a paring knife to peel immediately.
- Transfer beets to medium bowl and toss with tarragon and hot pepper oil. Set aside until cool to room temperature.
- While beets are roasting, toast walnuts: Arrange chopped walnuts on a small baking sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Assemble salads: In a medium bowl, toss the burrata balls with remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange each in center of a salad plate.
- Cut poached pears in half and remove cores, then cut into 1/4-inch slices. Transfer slices to a medium bowl. Cut roasted beets into chunks and add to pears. Toss with White Balsamic Shoyu Vinaigrette and divide pears and beets between salad plates.
- Surround with toasted walnuts on each salad plate.
- Drizzle plates with reserved balsamic reduction and add drops of Basil Oil.
- Garnish with edible flowers and leaves, if desired.
Serves 4.
Per serving, using 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette, 1 teaspoon Basil Oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt for seasoning burrata: 1,061 calories (percent of calories from fat, 75), 16 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 31 grams total sugars, 4 grams fiber, 89 grams total fat (25 grams saturated), 80 milligrams cholesterol, 751 milligrams sodium.
White Balsamic Shoyu Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons shiro shoyu
- In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and shiro shoyu.
- Transfer to covered container and set aside.
Makes a generous 1/2 cup.
Per tablespoon: 108 calories (percent of calories from fat, 98), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, trace total sugars, no fiber, 12 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 49 milligrams sodium.
Basil Oil
This recipe yields more than needed for 4 salad portions. Kunz writes that the remaining basil oil is a great resource in the kitchen. “Basil oil is amazing on everything. You can finish a pasta or pizza with it or dip bread in it. It’s also great drizzled on soup, especially tomato soup. Use it with the hot pepper oil we make for our salad and you get a combination of a peppery kick and sweet herbal flavor. Or I like the basil oil in combination with fresh strawberries and whipped cream as a topping for pound cake or poppy seed cake.”
- 2 ounces fresh basil sprigs
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- In a medium saucepan, bring 3 inches of water to a boil. Place a bowl of ice water next to the cooktop to make an ice bath. Add basil to boiling water and cook 5 seconds, then use tongs to transfer basil to ice bath to cool. When chilled, remove basil from ice bath and squeeze to remove water.
- Transfer basil to jar of a blender and add olive oil. Process until smooth, then strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a container.
- Cover and refrigerate until needed. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before using to return oil to a liquid state.
Makes 1/2 cup.
Per teaspoon: 46 calories (percent of calories from fat, 99), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, trace total sugars, trace fiber, 5 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, trace sodium.
From the menu of ... the Select, 6405 Blue Stone Road, Sandy Springs. 770-637-2240, theselectatl.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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