We’ve been eating quite a few of these lately:
Salades composées are just various salady ingredients (yup, meat or fish are ok) arranged onto a plate (I rather like mine with all the parts separate like above) and served with a vinaigrette on top. Simple, fresh, light, no cooking required. Choose a good variety of ingedients – nothing’s more boring that chewing on a whole bowlful of the same thing. For the vinaigrette, don’t bother with bottled; I whisked together a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a tablespoon or two of sherry vinegar (wine vinegars are also good) and then a few tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil. Adjust the ratios to suit your taste – we like quite a bit of that vinegary bite. Salt and pepper to taste and then pour over your salad. I used to do the whole shake it in a jar thing but I found that the oily mixture always had a way of leaking out onto my hands!
Nice and light for these (few) summery days!
Tamarind and Thyme 
Sun, 30 Aug, 2009 at 15:02
I like such salads too, the latest one was to use some leftover roasted rib of beef cut into strips and mixed with grated carrot, cucumber, spring onion, raw sugarsnap chopped and all mixed with a simple dressing of honey, oil and vinegar shaken in a little jar…
Sun, 30 Aug, 2009 at 15:26
I love salad a lot. I’ve been eating tomato and mozzarella salad made from a glut of home grown tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper. With a splash of pesto dressing… I always mix them together as I’m not keen on neat and orderly!
To add interest I use a mixture of yellow and red tumbler tomatoes with black cherry Toms combined with a zebra striped variety. It’s so easy to grow tumbler tomatoes as they are ideal for a window box or balcony…. The others are more challenging but worth it.
Sun, 30 Aug, 2009 at 15:35
Ooh! That’s neat!
We’ve been throwing salads togeter, made from any odds and ends we find in the fridge for years. And, now it’s got a fancy French name … 🙂
Sun, 30 Aug, 2009 at 21:33
Looks perfectly refreshing and a great way to use the bounty of summer.
Tue, 1 Sep, 2009 at 07:09
gorgeous! and perfect for summer. we do a grilled salmon on arugula with just salt, pepper, and olive oil. delish!
Tue, 8 Sep, 2009 at 11:23
kavey: We’re currently loving the simplicity of olive oil and lemon juice. Delicious! Good idea with the leftovers!
Robert: Home grown tomatoes…sigh… No space in our flat for anything like that. I’ve not come across black cherry tomatoes yet but I’ve seen photos of them.
travelrat: 😀
OysterCulture: Yes, lucky that we need that refreshment in the heat of summer! Can you imagine all that bounty on a cold day?
angela: Big fans of arugula here so this sounds gorgeous!
Sun, 13 Sep, 2009 at 15:38
Look at the colour of those tomatoes! It looks delicious.
Mon, 14 Sep, 2009 at 15:31
Thanks, Foodycat! The tomatoes from my local market have been fantastic! Hope you’re able to get some good ones too.
Fri, 30 Oct, 2009 at 00:10
I love all your photos. This recipe is so visually vibrant.
Sun, 6 Mar, 2011 at 21:26
[…] The dish of tartiflette hails from the region of Savoie in France (in the Alps: it’s no wonder they come up with rib sticking dishes) and its main ingredients are potatoes, cheese, bacon and onion. They’re a classic combination (certainly used here in the past) but to me, it’s the way the cheese is simply laid on top of the hot potatoes, its soft insides melting all over and forming a cheesy sauce that makes tartiflette quite special. As you can imagine, it’s a particularly rich dish that demands a salad on the side, dressed with a sharp mustardy vinaigrette. […]