My son Wilson loves everything French- especially the food- and since we do not have little Parisian style cafes in upstate New York, I am forced of course to prepare these favorites in the Windy Willow Farm home kitchen! This tasty salad is best served at room temperature and I especially love it alongside a chicken sandwich with goat cheese and sliced pears, but it makes a lovely afternoon snack just on its own.
makes six- eight servings
vinaigrette:
juice from one medium lemon ( 2-3 tablespoons )
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
cous cous:
1 1/3 cups cous cous
1 1/3 cups chicken sto
1 1/3 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup toasted pinenuts ( To toast the pine nuts, place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 7-8 minutes or until lightly golden )
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon lemon zest ( from your lemon above )
salt ( I like fleur de sel for this )
to make the vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Gradually add the olive oil, and whisk until emulsified. Set aside.
to make the cous cous:
Combine the stock and the water in a medium-size pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the cous cous, put the lid back on the pot, and set aside for five minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small skillet over medium -low heat. Add the shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender.
Take the lid off of the cous cous, fluff it up with a fork, and then transfer to a large bowl. Add the currants, pinenuts, and parsley, and the reserved shallots and toss with the vinaigrette. Season to taste with the fleur de sel.
