CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM A sprinkling of edible flowers gives this salad the feeling of spring. A composed -- as opposed to tossed -- salad can be assembed like a work of art. CLICK FOR LARGE

Cool and composed

Consider the artists' palette in assembling a spring salad

TODAY is the first day of spring, and though Hawaii has spring vegetables year round, they will be more abundant and reasonably priced through April and May. Days will be warming up a bit, too, so you can look forward to meals that require little or no cooking and can be served cold. Think spring salads, and foster your artistry and imagination.

There are few rules for composed salads -- just common sense. Vegetables and proteins should remain chilled, and if plates must be on the table for any length of time, it's best to pass the dressings so that greens won't wilt and mayonnaise-based dressings will remain safe to eat.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM 1. CHOOSE YOUR CANVAS. Beautiful, footed marble slabs can be chilled and used to serve salads for a large party. Dainty individual salad plates can frame a few, simple ingredients as side salads for a spring luncheon. Oval French casseroles, turkey platters, monkeypod or enameled wooden trays all make perfect canvasses for your compositions. For this salad, a terra cotta plate with a colorful rim in spring colors was chosen. CLICK FOR LARGE

When imagining your composed salad as a painting, do what the artist does and plan ahead. Have all ingredients prepped, choose your canvas, background of greens, color palette, focal points and finishing touches. Renoir never had to deal with "dressing" his paintings, but you should also plan for that because your art work is going to be eaten!

The salad composed here took no more than 10 minutes to put together once the asparagus was cooked, and it served four (with a chilled soup and a crusty baguette). You can substitute proteins, vegetables and garnishes for any of the ingredients you see here.

When it comes to salad dressing, fresh dressings take almost no time to make if you have the ingredients on hand, but when there's absolutely no time to spare, choose from some very tasty prepared dressings. My favorites are the locally made Gyotaku dressings or Cardini's Original Caesar dressing, which also doubles as a sauce when artfully (of course!) drizzled over cooked green vegetables.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM 2. ADD YOUR BACKGROUND. Your base is usually greens, and mixed Hawaiian greens build flavors, colors and nutrition into your salads. Those used for this salad were found at the neighborhood supermarket and aren't as fun as the tangy mesclun mixes gleaned at farmers' markets, but that's what I had on hand. The sturdy, long-lasting red leaf lettuce made a nice mat around the edges of the platter, with smaller green lettuce leaves and curly endive tucked around for contrast. Unlike paintings, salads benefit from some height. Just don't aim to create an Eiffel Tower or you'll have to implode it before serving! CLICK FOR LARGE

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM 3. PROVIDE FOCAL POINTS. Where will the viewers'/diners' eyes rest? Have some contrasts in color and shape (here, blanched asparagus spears and appetizing pink-orange shrimp provide focal points for the salad). Center these or place them on your background of greens wherever you think they look the best. CLICK FOR LARGE

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM 4. USE YOUR PALETTE. Highlight, add texture and interest, and especially, color, wherever your painting needs contrast and balance. Red, yellow and orange tomatoes, and avocado slices do the work here. Afterward, sprinkle on fresh herbs, pepper, shaved hard cheeses or crumbled white goat cheeses, croutons, sliced olives or whatever you feel will add to eye appeal and taste. CLICK FOR LARGE

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM 5. FINAL TOUCHES. A few edible flowers -- find them in grocery stores near the fresh herbs -- add a final touch of spring. Your composition is complete now, except for one thing: the dressing. Drench the salad with a heavy, mayonnaise-based dressing and you might as well have a student artist paint over your Renoir. If you plan to use a Caesar, Roquefort, ranch or other heavy dressing, put it in a pretty container and let your diners serve themselves. Even better for composed salads are light, clear, freshly-made vinaigrettes which can either be passed at the table or drizzled over the complete salad the second it comes out of the refrigerator. CLICK FOR LARGE