Frisée

Buy cooked fresh lobster meat and you can whip this salad together in about 30 minutes. Cooking your own lobster, however, not only ensures the freshest flavor and the tenderest meat, but you get more bang for the buck—you can use the lobster shells to make stock and lobster oil.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Green Salad with Roquefort Toasts) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

At her restaurant, Lynch includes black truffle in the vinaigrette for this salad, but it's so flavorful as it is that we didn't feel the truffle was necessary.

Insalata di Radicchio, Frisée, e Carciofi Including raw artichokes in a salad is an Italian trademark — their flavor is fresher and milder than that of cooked artichokes. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Judy Rodgers is currently working on a cookbook from her Zuni Café in San Francisco. Grilling the mushrooms for this salad (which will appear in the new book) intensifies their flavor. Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 35 min

The greens for the following salad may be washed and spun dry a day in advance and kept wrapped in paper towels in a plastic bag and chilled. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Smoked duck adds elegance to this salad. Smoked turkey would also work well.

Arugula's bold flavor and the texture of curly frisée team up in this simple salad.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.