We’ll be New Orleans-bound in a few days, and I’m trying to use up what we have in the fridge. Well, and the garden.

I’ve been quite fussy about my mesclun, giving it a long, cold drink of water every evening. This is my first shot at growing delicate leafy greens. A few weeks ago, they were a palm full of speckish seeds. Trouble is, this North Carolina spring has been fickle - chilly, then blazing hot, then freezing. We turned the heat off, giddily, only to have to crank it up again the first week of May. Now, it’s off for good. I hope. The weather this week has stayed solidly in the 70s, sunny and dry. But I have this gut feeling that the mercury will creep up while we’re gone next week. My pretty ruffle of green will deflate like an ironed shirt on an August day. There’ll go our salads.

In the fridge I found the remains of last Saturday’s farmers’ market haul: some young radishes, small, with the just a hint of heat in their crispy white flesh, and half of a tangy white goat cheese crotin from Goat Lady Dairy . I snipped some greens from the garden (for very tiny salads; microgreens, how chic are we), grabbed some sea salt, olive oil and a shallot from the pantry, and some good butter from the fridge, et voila, ten minutes later - supper. Radishes with butter and salt, salad, cheese, bread. Waste not, want not.

This is one of my favorite vinaigrettes. It’s snappy and tart, but also one of the quickest if you have shallots and champagne vinegar already on hand - and you really should. They’re indispensable friends to salads, and this time of year, you’ve got to treat your salad right.

Shallot vinaigrette makes enough for two good-sized salads, maybe more

About two tablespoons minced fresh shallot
2-4 tablespoons of good olive oil
4-5 tablespoons of champagne vinegar (depending on your taste)
Salt, pepper and brown sugar, to taste. Mix vigorously with a whisk to combine.

On another note…if you’ll have any recommendations for your beloved beignet, or your crawfish crush, let me know. We’re also heading toward Mobile, taking a swing at oysters on the Gulf Coast, then zipping over to Louisiana’s southwest corner for cracklin’ and boudin. Memphis (dry-rubbed ribs) and perhaps Oxford will come a little later in the week.