I aimed to create something light and elegant with as little fuss as possible. This salad, with hearts of palm, fennel, and avocado, certainly fits the bill. And color­-­wise, it provides several delightful shades of light green. I call for the fennel to be sliced with a mandolin, the classic French mechanism for ultimate precision in carving up your firm vegetables, but a very sharp grater or kitchen knife can be used. Just be sure to slice the fennel as thin as possible; otherwise, its licorice­-­like flavor tends to overwhelm the subtler flavors in this salad, such as the avocado and hearts of ­palm.

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb, sliced paper­-­thin with a mandolin or very sharp kitchen ­knife
• 2 eggs, hard­-­boiled, peeled and ­quartered (see Note)
• 1 4­-­ounce log of goat cheese, thinly ­sliced
• 1 bunch of radishes, thinly ­sliced
• 2 heads of frisée, washed and ­dried
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4­-­ to 1/2­-­inch ­cubes
• 3 hearts of palm, sliced 1/4­-­ to 1/2­-­inch ­thick
• Lemon Vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, for ­garnish

Instructions

1. Combine all the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss well. Sprinkle with the chopped chives and ­serve.

Note: To hard­-­boil eggs, place them in a small saucepan of boiling water, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. In order to serve the eggs cold, immediately plunge them into a bath of ice water for up to 5 minutes before ­peeling.

Tip

The Magnificent Avocado

Other Appetizer Recipes

Braised Fennel
Chicken and Fennel Sausage
Shrimp Avocado Ritz