Info
- Total time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8-10
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 1 cup basil leaves, packed, stems discarded
- 1/2 cup Fisher® pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
For the layers
- 7 large eggs, hardboiled, peeled and cut in half
- 1 bag (4.5 ounces) Fisher® Whole Almonds
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups celery, sliced
- 1 package (10.5 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 bag (13 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3/4 pound red beets
- 1/2 pound bacon, sliced
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350°F. Rinse the beets, then trim away the stem and root ends. Individually wrap each beet in aluminum foil, keeping the foil opening at the top. Roast about 45 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the center. While the beets cook, arrange the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the same oven for 6 minutes, until they look toasted. For the eggs, place them in a saucepan wide enough to hold them in one layer. Add cold water until the eggs are covered by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then take the pan off the heat, cover it and let stand 12 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool, then peel. Cut each egg in half lengthwise and set aside.
- In a blender, combine the basil, pine nuts, salt, sugar and olive oil and pulse until blended but still slightly chunky. Set the pesto aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, sour cream and red wine vinegar together with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Building the 7 layers: (1) In a large glass dish (a trifle bowl works), toss the shredded iceberg with the sliced celery. Ease the mixture back from the sides, then arrange the eggs along the walls of the dish with the yolks facing outward and the eggs standing upright. Spoon a few tablespoons of dressing over the lettuce and celery. (2) Toss the cherry tomatoes with a pinch of salt and add them over the lettuce. (2) Spoon all but 2 tablespoons of the pesto over the tomatoes. (3) Add the peas (4), then the cheese (5), then the beets, followed by all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining dressing (6). Just before serving, finish with the warm bacon and the almonds (7). Dot the surface with the reserved pesto and dressing.
Notes
Avoid over-blending the pesto: the blender warms the basil, which can dull the bright green color and turn it brown. The bacon can be cooked and crumbled, or cut into one-inch strips before cooking for a more uniform look. To play up the natural sweetness of the cherry tomatoes and beets, sprinkle them with a pinch of sugar or a drizzle of honey.
