Pin It There's something about the first warm afternoon of spring that makes you want to cook with your hands, not your head. I was standing in the farmers market watching a vendor arrange snap peas in perfect spirals, and something clicked—I wanted to make a salad that looked as alive as those vines curling in the sun. The English Ivy came together that evening, a dish that turned a simple handful of vegetables into something that felt like you'd arranged a small garden on a plate.
I made this for a dinner party once where I'd invited people I barely knew, and somewhere between the second course and the wine refills, someone asked me why I'd arranged everything like vines instead of tossing it in a bowl. I realized I'd been trying to show them something—not just food, but the idea that you could care about how it looked and still keep it simple. They asked for the recipe before dessert even came out.
Ingredients
- Snap peas: Look for the ones that snap loudly when you bend them—that's your signal they're fresh enough to taste like spring itself.
- Green beans: Trim both ends with a small knife, and don't worry if they're not perfectly uniform; slight variation looks more honest on the plate.
- Sharp white cheddar: The sharpness is what makes this work; mild cheddar will disappear against the vegetables, so don't compromise here.
- Shallot: One small one, sliced paper-thin, so it softens slightly in the dressing without overpowering anything.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use one you actually like drinking, because you'll taste it directly.
- Fresh lemon juice: Never bottled; the difference between fresh and jarred is the difference between this tasting bright and tasting flat.
- Dijon mustard: Just a teaspoon, but it acts like a quiet backbone, holding everything together without announcing itself.
- Honey: A whisper of sweetness that rounds out the tartness and makes the whole thing feel balanced.
- Fresh chives: Chopped just before serving so they haven't started to wilt and lose their onion bite.
Instructions
- Set up your ice bath first:
- Fill a bowl with ice water before you even light the stove—this is the secret to vegetables that stay bright green instead of turning dull and army-colored. You'll want everything ready to go the moment the vegetables come out of the boiling water.
- Blanch the vegetables:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then drop in your snap peas and green beans for exactly 2 minutes. Listen for the water to come back to a boil; that's when your timer starts. They should go from dull to almost glowing green.
- Shock them in ice water:
- The moment those 2 minutes are up, use a slotted spoon to fish them out and plunge them immediately into the ice bath. This stops the cooking dead and locks in both the color and the slight resistance when you bite into them. Leave them until they've cooled completely, then drain and pat dry.
- Build the dressing:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Taste it before you add the vegetables—it should taste bright and slightly sharp, almost aggressive on its own.
- Dress the vegetables:
- Add the cooled snap peas, green beans, and your paper-thin shallot slices to the dressing. Toss gently so everything gets coated, but do it with care; you're not trying to bruise anything.
- Arrange with intention:
- On a serving platter, lay out the vegetables in long, winding lines, letting them intertwine like actual ivy growing across the surface. It sounds precious, but it works—your eyes eat first, and a salad arranged this way says you cared.
- Top with cheese and garnish:
- Scatter your sharp white cheddar cubes or shards across the vegetables, then finish with a generous scatter of chopped chives and microgreens if you have them. Serve right away while everything is still cool and crisp.
Pin It My grandmother used to say that good food is just paying attention—to temperature, to timing, to the moment something is exactly right. The first time I made this dish correctly was when I stopped worrying about whether it looked fancy enough and just focused on making sure every element was at its best. That's when it became something people wanted to eat.
Why This Works as a Salad
Most composed salads either feel too delicate to actually enjoy or too heavy to call themselves salad. This one splits the difference by letting the vegetables stay the main character while the cheddar adds richness and the shallot adds an edge. The dressing is bright enough to cut through the cheese but substantial enough to feel like you're eating something, not just pushing greens around a plate. It works because nothing here is trying too hard to be something it's not.
The Importance of Blanching
Blanching sounds fancy but it's really just a controlled way of cooking vegetables halfway, then stopping them cold. It's the difference between vegetables that taste aggressively cooked and vegetables that taste like themselves but improved—softer than raw but still full of snap and actual flavor. The green color that comes out of that boiling water is a bonus; the real magic is in how the texture transforms from too-raw to just-right in exactly 2 minutes.
Building Flavor Layers
The dressing here works because every ingredient has a job—the olive oil carries richness, the lemon juice provides brightness, the mustard adds a structural quality that keeps everything from tasting flat, and the honey rounds everything out without making it sweet. It's not a complicated equation, but it's deliberate. This is the kind of dressing you make when you understand that balance matters more than complexity.
- Taste the dressing alone before you commit it to the vegetables, and adjust the lemon or salt if something feels off.
- If it tastes too aggressive, add a tiny drizzle more honey; if it tastes dull, hit it with another squeeze of fresh lemon.
- Remember that the vegetables will mellow it slightly once everything comes together, so it's okay if it seems sharp on its own.
Pin It This is the kind of salad that makes you feel better about cooking, like you've done something that matters even though it took less than half an hour. Serve it when you want people to slow down and pay attention.
Your Questions Answered
- → How do I keep the snap peas and green beans crisp?
Blanch the snap peas and green beans briefly in boiling salted water, then immediately cool them in ice water to stop cooking and preserve crunch.
- → Can I substitute the white cheddar?
Yes, tangy cheeses like goat cheese or feta can be used for a different flavor profile.
- → What dressing ingredients enhance the salad’s flavor?
A mix of extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and honey creates a tangy and slightly sweet dressing that complements the vegetables.
- → Are there suitable garnish options?
Fresh chives add a mild onion note, while microgreens or pea shoots provide an attractive and fresh garnish.
- → Is this salad suitable for special diets?
Yes, it’s vegetarian and gluten-free but contains dairy, so be mindful of any dairy allergies.