Escarole, Grapefruit and Parmesan Salad | Grapefruit-Tarragon Vinaigrette

It's been approximately 400 degrees for the last couple of days and everyone's talking about it. Apparently we're in for some 'relief' in the way of a couple of 90 degree days this weekend. You know it's hot, when cooler means 90.

Aside from hitting up the beach and maybe a movie theater for an all-day AC fest, I will also consume copious amounts of salad this weekend. Because after a week of recipe development and the oven pumping on full blast, this cook can't take the heat anymore. Doesn't mean I'm getting out of the kitchen, it just means I'm boycotting the stove.

What better recipe to leave you with for this first-official-summertime-weekend than a delicious, crispy, cooling escarole salad topped with tart grapefruit segments and a grapefruit-tarragon vinaigrette?



You barely need a recipe for this - but I thought I'd include one anyway, along with some helpful tips about segmenting grapefruits - or any citrus for that matter. My favorite part about this salad is how well the hearty escarole stands up to the dressing. It doesn't cower and wilt like so many other salad greens. Because it remains so crunchy, I didn't feel the need to add nuts, but if you're in the mood for even more crunch, I think pistachios or pine nuts would be good additions.



So, this weekend, I recommend taking a very slow stroll, dotted with multiple stops for iced coffee fill-ups, to your local greenmarket and picking up a big, voluptuous head of escarole. And stay away from that oven!



What you'll need:
1 whole grapefruit, peeled and segmented
Escarole, cleaned, dried and chopped - about 3-4 cups
8-10 curls of Parmigiano-reggiano cheese
3-4 Tablespoons Olive oil
A pinch of salt
3 or 4 grinds of fresh black pepper
Tarragon - 1 stem fresh, leaves chopped or 1 teaspoon dried {I always prefer fresh tarragon, it's got such better flavor, but sometimes it's hard to find fresh, so dried is a suitable substitute here}

In a small bowl, add 3 Tbsp of olive oil, tarragon, salt and pepper. Allow to sit while making the rest of the salad, this way the tarragon has a few moments to infuse the oil.

Trim the ends of the grapefruit so that it can sit flat and is stable on your cutting board.
Use the tip of your chef's knife and run the blade from top to bottom, following the curve of the grapefruit between the inner white of the grapefruit peel and the flesh. Be careful not to chip away at the flesh of the grapefruit, try to keep the knife blade just between the skin and flesh.
Turn the grapefruit towards you as you gradually make your way around the whole grapefruit.
Now that the grapefruit is completely peeled, hold it in one hand and work over the bowl in which you will mix and serve the salad. This way, all of the juices of the grapefruit will run into the bowl, adding to the dressing. Use the blade of your knife to separate the segments from the remaining pith.
As the segments are freed from the pith, carefully lay them in the salad bowl, so as not to break them.
Once all of the segments are removed, hold the remaining pith in your hand and squeeze it into the small bowl in which you started your dressing - so that all of the grapefruit juice runs into the salad dressing. This is the acid for your dressing.

Whisk the salad dressing together and taste it. Add more oil, if needed. Add more salt and pepper or tarragon if needed.

In your salad bowl, create a bed of escarole leaves, and nest the grapefruit segments on top. Gingerly, toss the two together to coat the escarole in grapefruit juice.
Top the grapefruit with 8-10 curls of fresh Parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and carefully toss it just before serving.