French Cabbage Salad

This warm cabbage salad lives somewhere between a slaw and a sauté. Crispy bacon bits and browned onions in hot tarragon vinegar get poured over a heap of raw shredded cabbage, wilting it just enough to soften the crunch without killing it. The cabbage never actually cooks, it just relaxes under the heat.

Tarragon vinegar is what makes this French rather than German or Danish. It has a mild anise-like note that plays beautifully against the smoky bacon fat. If you can only find plain white wine vinegar, steep a sprig of fresh tarragon in it for an hour beforehand and you’re close.

Fry the bacon until properly crisp, then fish every last bit out before cooking the onions and garlic in that rendered fat. The bacon goes back in at the very end so it stays crunchy instead of going soft in the vinegar.

Chef Tips

• Shred the cabbage thin, almost like coleslaw. Thick chunks won’t wilt properly and the vinegar can’t penetrate.
• Pour the hot vinegar dressing over the cabbage and toss immediately. Letting it sit makes the cabbage go limp and waterlogged.
• If the vinegar tastes too sharp, cut it with a tablespoon or two of water before pouring. You want tangy, not face-puckering.

Variations

• Drop the garlic and switch to cider vinegar for a German-style cabbage salad.
• Go Danish by making the German version and stirring in a few spoonfuls of sour cream.
• Add shredded carrots and a pinch of caraway seeds for extra color and a subtle earthy flavor.