Romaine Salad with Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit
Romaine Salad with Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit
This somewhat incongruous combination of ingredients yields one of our favorite salads: visually, the deep pink grapefruit, blue-veined cheese, and "jewels" of pomegranate seeds on crisp lettuces are dramatic. The flavors integrate sweet, salty, and tangy, and come with a textural crunch. Serve this salad in December and January, when you desire a light but complex salad to precede a roast or braised dish.
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 8 cups romaine hearts cleaned and torn
- pomegranate-port vinaigrette
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 1/2 cups ruby red grapefruit segments about 2 grapefruit
- 3/4 cup Roquefort crumbled
- 3/4 cup walnuts lightly toasted and skins rubbed off
- seeds from one ripe pomegranate see note
Instructions
- Dress the romaine with the pomegranate-port vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Divide between 8 chilled plates. Divide the grapefruit segments between the salads. Sprinkle crumbled Roquefort, then walnuts, and finally pomegranate seeds on top of the salads. Serve immediately.
Note: Fresh pomegranates usually are available from November until January. Look for deep red fruit with firm skins and heavy weight for their size. Cut the fruit in half, pick the seeds from the membrane, and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
This recipe is from the book Not Afraid of Flavor:Recipes from the Magnolia Grill by Award-Winning Chefs Ben and Karen Barker
