Salad Brain 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:
Cook lobster meat
Boiled potatoes
Sliced celery
Lettuce, crunchy or soft?
Buttery Vinaigrette: Use butter and lemon juice to make a basic vinaigrette. Start with 1 stick of butter, melted and whisk in 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Add salt to taste.
PLATTERAL THINKING:
Who doesn’t love a lobster roll or a lobster dinner? This salad combines classic elements of both for an outrageously fun platter salad. The dressing is a warm vinaigrette riff on the usual melted butter and lemon juice. Lobster is not something that needs much messing with so I’m keeping it simple and staying with traditional ingredients. The lettuce needs to hold up to warm vinaigrette so frisee would be a good choice. I used a mixture of varieties. I like the crunch the lettuce and celery add to the softer lobster and potatoes and the yellow-green compliment to the orange-red. Smashed potatoes add heft to the salad and absorb the vinaigrette nicely.
WHAT IF?
Consider the color and shape of the potatoes. Cute little tiny whole new potatoes would be fun. And how about purple potatoes. If the occasion calls for a side salad, change the proportions. The lobster can accent a potato salad. Nix the buttery vinaigrette and go for a creamy Louis dressing or even mustardy mayonnaise. Dark green spinach would go nicely with the warm butter. Croutons. Lemon zest. Radish sprouts. Avocado.
