Marseille Salad with Prunes

Instructions

1. Gather all the necessary ingredients on a clean work surface for making the Marseille Salad with Prunes. Have everything within reach before you start the assembly, since the layered construction moves quickly once you have all the prepared components ready to go.

   

2. Boil the chicken breast in well-flavoured aromatic water in advance and let it cool completely in its own broth for the juiciest most tender result. Cut the cooled meat into small even cubes that match the size of the other prepared ingredients. Then chop the walnuts in any convenient way: a sharp knife on a wooden board, a small electric chopper or a quick pulse in a food processor for the best textural contribution.

   

3. Soak the prunes in warm boiled water for about ten minutes to plump them up and soften the dried fruit. After soaking, lift the prunes out of the water and pat them dry on a clean paper towel. Excess moisture from soaked prunes would otherwise leak into the assembled salad and waterlog the bottom layers.

   

4. Cut the soaked and dried prunes into thin strips. Reserve a few whole or sliced prunes for the final decoration of the finished salad on the serving plate, since the dark fruit slices look striking against the lighter coloured layers underneath.

   

5. Grate the hard cheese on the fine side of a box grater. The fine grate produces delicate fluffy ribbons that integrate smoothly into the layered structure of the salad rather than creating thick chunky bands that disrupt the elegant cross-section.

   

6. Carefully separate the boiled eggs into yolks and whites and grate each part finely on the fine side of a box grater. Keeping the two egg parts separate allows you to use them as distinct visual elements in the layered salad later in the assembly step.

7. Grate the peeled carrot on the special Korean-style julienne grater that produces long thin matching strips of carrot. If you do not own this specific grater, simply cut the carrot into very thin matchstick strips by hand with a sharp knife.

   

8. In a frying pan with a generous splash of sunflower oil, cook the prepared carrot strips over medium heat until they have softened completely and developed a slightly golden colour. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste during cooking.

   

9. Transfer the cooked carrot to a clean plate to cool completely before adding to the layered salad. Hot ingredients added to the salad would soften the cream layer prematurely and unbalance the carefully constructed structure during the long resting time.

   

10. All the prepared ingredients are now ready and waiting for assembly. Take a moment to organize the components in front of you before you start building the layers, since the assembly moves quickly once you commit to the order of layers and start placing them in the pastry ring.

    

11. To make the salad look its absolute best, assemble it inside a metal pastry ring placed on a flat serving plate. Grease the inside walls of the moulding ring lightly with sunflower oil to prevent sticking and ensure a clean release when you remove the ring just before serving.

    

12. Spread a small amount of mayonnaise on the bottom of the plate inside the ring. The first layer of salad is the prepared chopped chicken meat. Spread the chicken evenly across the bottom and cover with a fine decorative net of mayonnaise piped through a piping bag for the cleanest look.

    

13. The second layer is the chopped prunes, distributed evenly across the chicken band below. Cover with another fine net of mayonnaise to bind the prunes gently into place and create a smooth surface for the next layer that follows above.

    

14. The third layer is the cooled cooked carrot strips. Spread the carrot evenly across the prune layer and cover with another mayonnaise net. The bright orange colour of the carrot adds a beautiful warm contrast to the surrounding layers in the cross-section.

    

15. The fourth layer is the chopped walnuts. Distribute the nuts evenly across the carrot band and cover with another mayonnaise net. The dark brown nuts contrast nicely against the orange carrot below and the white cheese band that follows above.

    

16. The fifth layer is the grated hard cheese. Spread the cheese evenly across the walnut band and cover with another fine net of mayonnaise. The cheese forms an intermediate band of richness between the nuts below and the snowy egg white above.

    

17. The sixth layer is the grated egg whites. Distribute the whites evenly across the cheese band and cover with another mayonnaise net. The snowy white colour of the eggs creates a brilliant visual contrast that highlights the upper layers in the cross-section beautifully.

    

18. The seventh and final layer is the bright golden grated yolk. Spread the yolks evenly across the entire top of the salad to create the eye-catching golden crown that completes the visual composition of the finished dish on the serving plate.

    

19. Decorate the finished salad with the reserved slices of prune and a few sprigs of fresh herbs. The dark prune slices contrast strikingly against the golden yolk crown, while the fresh green herbs add a cheerful natural touch that signals genuine festive intent at the table.

    

20. The layered Marseille Salad with Prunes is now ready to serve at the festive table. Carefully remove the pastry ring just before serving by running a thin knife around the inside edge to release the salad cleanly. From the recipe quantities given above, two large servings of salad are typically produced. This salad will not go unnoticed at any holiday table. Bon appetit!

    

Tips

• 1

  Boil the chicken breast in well-flavoured aromatic water with onion, bay leaf and a few peppercorns for the most tender flavourful meat in the finished salad. Always allow the cooked breast to cool completely in its own broth rather than removing it while still hot, since the resting step lets the meat reabsorb juices that would otherwise drain away on the cutting board and produces noticeably juicier chicken in the finished celebration salad.

• 2

  Toast the walnuts briefly in a dry frying pan over medium heat before chopping for a deeper richer nuttiness in the finished salad. To pair this dramatic celebration salad with another beautifully layered chicken-based salad, try our colourful Birch salad with prunes as a stunning visual centerpiece on the same buffet table.

• 3

  Use a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle to draw the mayonnaise net between layers, since the net pattern uses much less mayonnaise than full layers and produces a noticeably lighter finished salad. Without a piping bag, you can improvise with a zip-top sandwich bag with one corner snipped off, or simply spread the mayonnaise thinly with the back of a spoon for a more rustic look.

• 4

  Allow the assembled salad to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving to let the flavours merge and the layers settle properly. For another beautifully presented chicken-based salad to add variety to the celebration menu, try our colourful Lady's Caprice salad with chicken and pineapples for a sweeter fruity alternative.

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