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Pink Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad

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Pink Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad Cookbook cover image courtesy of Random House

This elegant, light salad is ideal to serve as a first course. Pink grapefruit and peppery watercress cut the richness of avocado, and a scattering of toasted hazelnuts and hazelnut oil in the dressing suggest a flavor of early fall. Prosciutto is a graceful inclusion, but you can leave it out for a lighter vegetarian salad if you like.

Ingredients

Serves 4

16 shelled hazelnuts
bunch of watercress
1 pink grapefruit
1 ripe avocado
8–12 slices of prosciutto
8–12 wafer-thin slices of young romano (optional)
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Dressing:

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
海盐和新鲜的黑胡椒粉
3 tablespoons (40ml) mild-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons hazelnut oil
  1. Dressing:

    Step 1

    First make the dressing. Combine the mustard and sherry vinegar in a bowl and add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil, followed by the hazelnut oil to emulsify, then set aside.

  2. Salad:

    Step 2

    Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the nuts on a baking sheet and roast in the middle of the oven for 3 to 4 minutes to warm and release their flavor. Turn into a cloth and rub gently to remove the skins, then roughly chop the nuts.

    Step 3

    For the salad, wash the watercress and gently pat dry. Peel the grapefruit, removing all the pith, then cut out the segments over a large bowl to catch the juice as well as the segments. Halve, pit, and peel the avocado, then cut into slices, similar in size to the grapefruit. Add to the grapefruit with the watercress and toss gently with your fingers to mix.

    Step 4

    If the dressing has separated on standing, give it a whisk, then drizzle half of it over the salad and toss lightly, so you don't break up the avocado or grapefruit. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

    Step 5

    Arrange the salad on a plate, interleaving the prosciutto slices and romano if using, with the watercress, grapefruit, and avocado. Sprinkle with the minced parsley and drizzle over the remaining dressing. Finally, scatter over the hazelnuts and serve.

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 140.0 calories
70.0 calories from fat
8.0g total fat
1.0g saturated fat
5.0mg cholesterol
240.0mg sodium
10.0g total carbs
2.0g dietary fiber
5.0g sugars
4.0g protein
#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook
using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )
Reprinted with permission fromMy Favorite Ingredientsby Skye Gyngell. Copyright © 2010 Skye Gyngell. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Skye Gyngell is the head chef at the award-winning Petersham Nurseries Café in southwest London. She is also an established food writer with a weekly column featuring recipes for the Independent on Sunday. Born in Australia, Skye has worked as a chef in Sydney, Paris, and London. In 2007, Skye's first cookbook,A Year in My Kitchen,was named Cookery Book of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers and the Best Food Book at Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.
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  • Super delicious salad. I too used walnut oil instead of hazelnut because I had it. The only other change I made was to roast the prosciutto in the oven to make chips as I was looking for a bit of crisp to contrast grapefruit and avocado. I'd forgotten how good watercress can be.

    • Anonymous

    • Montreal, Canada

    • 3/27/2018

  • I loved the salad. I had to use walnut oil instead of the hazelnut oil and I also omitted the romano cheese. It has a nice combination of flavors.

    • aquinta

    • 8/24/2013

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