Chicory Salad with Roquefort (Salade Aux Endives et au Roquefort)

Composed salads make perfect starters. They are light and colourful and lend themselves to endless variation – and the components can often be prepared ahead for quick assembly. The French are masters of the composed salad. Any combination of ingredients can be used — let your imagination and your palate guide you. Arranged attractively on a plate or in a bowl, this type of salad offers contrasting flavours, textures and colours. Raw or cooked vegetables, fresh fruits, hard-boiled hen’s or quail’s eggs, smoked or cooked poultry, meat, fish or shellfish can all be used, but it is important that the dressing or other seasoning unite all the elements harmoniously. Unlike a tossed salad such as “Salade de Mesclun”, in which the leaves are tossed together with a simple vinaigrette, the components of a composed salad are kept more separate. The ingredients might be arranged in groups, sometimes on a base of lettuce or other leaves, or simply arranged in circles on the plate. Composed salads, like “Salade Niçoise” or any of the following salads, are often served as a first course or a light main course, especially in warm weather. A tossed green salad is frequently eaten after the main course and is generally thought to cleanse the palate for the cheese course or dessert.