Mint Lemon Salad

A variation rather than a standalone formula: it assumes you already have the book's lettuce lemon salad, which is simply crisp lettuce with a dressing in which lemon juice replaces the vinegar. Everything here hangs on how long the mint sits in that dressing.

• The base dressingThe original text points elsewhere for quantities and gives none itself. A common starting point is about three parts oil to one part fresh lemon juice, with salt and a little pepper, whisked or shaken to an emulsion; adjust the acid to taste.
• Five to ten minutes, not longerThis is the hinge. Mint steeped briefly in an acidic dressing gives a clean, bright perfume; left to sit for half an hour or more it turns grassy and the leaves blacken at the cut edges. Time it so the dressing goes onto the leaves just as the salad reaches the table.
• Shredding the mintStack the leaves, roll them, and cut across with a sharp knife rather than chopping. Bruised mint bleeds and darkens; a clean cut keeps the shreds green through service. The recipe specifies only "fresh mint"; common garden mint (spearmint) suits lemon better than peppermint, which reads as medicinal.
• Dress at the last momentLettuce collapses within minutes of meeting an acid dressing. Have the leaves washed, thoroughly dried and chilled, and toss only when everyone is seated.
• Lemon pointsA period term for lemon wedges cut lengthwise into narrow, pointed segments -- more elegant on a plate than a round slice, and easier to squeeze.
• YieldThe original states no quantities or number of servings. As a rough guide only, a large head of lettuce with about a quarter cup of dressing and a generous tablespoon of shredded mint will serve four as a side salad.