hold me closer, tiny dancer
Am I going to do a series of posts featuring cinematically named salads I’ve created? I dunno, maybe I will. Wanna fight about it? If you have a suggestion for a fun movie inspiration, key salad ingredient, or both, feel free to share in the comments and I’ll certainly try to whip something up for you!
This is a quasi-Pinsperation because I was influenced conceptually: I’d long ago pinned an absolutely delicious-sounding blackberry, fennel, and goat cheese pizza that I’ve never gotten around to making, but is always in the back of my mind. Faced with the tedious task of making a midday meal, that zesty little ‘za popped into my head and I realized I could transform the delectable pie idea into a delicate salad: much like Natalie Portman’s character in Darren Aronofsky’s 2012 film “Black Swan.” In the Oscar-nominated indie, the already beautiful and accomplished ballet dancer breaks while trying too hard to embody the wickedly seductive black swan Odile in “Swan Lake.” (Needless to say, I was able to put the salad together without a sex and ego-fueled psychological melt down. I may not be so lucky next time.)
A fresh salad kit with crisp romaine lettuce, shreds of purple cabbage, and crunchy carrots provided an ideal base, a little more colorful and nutrient-rich than lettuce. I added a handful of whole wheat croutons and roasted sunflower kernels for texture as well as fiber. My darling bleu cheese crumbles delivered a perfect performance, a slightly bitter contrast to the bright sweetness of the handful of blackberries. For my final move, I splashed on a tiny bit of Kraft Anything Dressing in Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette. The bottle reads that the product has four grams of fat per two tablespoon serving, but I sincerely wouldn’t use even half that amount and highly recommend a literal splash. The fruit more than sufficiently keeps the salad from daring to be dry and packs a ton of flavor. —Casandra Armour
