Salad Brain is a creativity platform.
These exercises use the platter, rather than the typical deep salad bowl, as the canvas for creation and a means to illustrate the universal process of creative thinking and design. No matter the field, the steps of creativity are the same. Here we’re using salads because we all have some experience with salad, a low-stakes, easy medium for practicing everyday creativity. Plus, your installation will feed you beautifully and well, and shouldn’t we all be eating more salads anyway?
We call it PLATTERAL THINKING!
For an introduction to getting in touch with your salad brain, read Welcome to Salad Brain Creativity.
INGREDIENTS:
Green Beans cooked just until crisp-tender in boiling salted water and chilled
Tomatoes
Mustard/Mayo Vinaigrette
PLATTERAL THINKING:
Here’s a big idea to keep in your back pocket–salads with weighty ingredients, tomatoes and green beans for instance, do much better scattered and layered over a large shallow platter than piled messily in a deep bowl. Big surprise! The shapes and colors of the tomatoes are the most important aspect of 2009 Tomato Study #28 (Note: I just made up this recipe name and number so you would take the tomato designs seriously. I swear, we’ve had a tomato salad every night for the last 28 days–you just have to right now). Combining sliced tomatoes with whole cherry tomatoes is very modern indeed. KISS–Keep it simple stupid! No need for clutter.
Mustard-Mayo Vinaigrette (This dressings has a heftier consistency than regular vinaigrette that’s ideal for drizzling.) 1 clove garlic, sprinkled with kosher salt and mashed into a paste 1/2 cup olive oil 1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 generous teaspoon mayonnaise 2 tablespoons wine vinegar (or to taste) Salt and black pepper, be generous. Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over the salad.
WHAT IF?
What about that basil in the garden. Wouldn’t this be great with pesto? Use one cut and color of tomato for drama and if that’s all you have.
