Little Gems Salad with Creme Fraiche Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 6 heads little gem lettuces
• ¼ bunch of chives, sliced
• Small handful of each: parsley, dill and cilantro chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, grated on a microplane 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ cup creme fraiche
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes, rinsed and halved
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Step 1:

Remove wilted exterior leaves from each head of lettuce. Cut stems from the lettuce heads, separate leaves and swish in a large basin of cold water, letting any sand or dirt sink to the bottom. Lift the leaves from the water and transfer to a colander. Shake away excess water. Wrap in kitchen towels to dry or use a salad spinner.

Step 2:

Make the dressing: place all herbs, garlic, lemon juice and creme fraiche in a bowl and mix with a spatula until combined. Add a pinch of salt to taste. 

Dress the tomatoes: Place the cut cherry tomatoes, a small glug of olive oil and a big pinch of salt into a bowl, mix and set aside.

Step 3:

Place the little gems into a very wide bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, scrape the dressing into the bowl and toss. The dressing is pretty thick, so it will take a lot of mixing, but be gentle so as not to break the leaves. Once dressed, spoon the tomatoes over top of the salad.