Kiwi and Winter Citrus with Arugula, Crème Fraiche, and Honey
Source: Josh Even, Tosca Cafe, featuring Four Sisters Farm.
Recipe Type: Appetizers and Sides | Seasons: Spring, Winter
This recipe was demonstrated for CUESA’s Market to Table program on February 10 2018.
This recipe is more procedural and less ingredient-driven. The amounts of each ingredient, and even the specific types of citrus and greens, are entirely up to you. When I was still cooking in NYC, there was a trout farmer who sold his trout and also the watercress that grew in the streams and ponds where his trout lived. I became obsessed with serving the trout, grilled, with nothing but the dressed watercress. This salad feels a bit the same. The kiwis, arugula, and Meyer lemons are from Four Sisters Farm. Pretty much everything else can be obtained from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays, from any number of farms.
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch sylvetta or arugula
2 cara cara oranges
4 kiwis
2 blood oranges
2 mandarin oranges
1 pomelo
1 tablespoon crème fraiche
1 Meyer lemon
Jacobsen sea salt (or other flaky sea salt), to taste
4 tablespoons honey
A couple glugs extra virgin olive oil
PREPARATION
To prepare the arugula: Fill a very large mixing bowl with water and ice. (A clean sink will be perfect for this at home.) The arugula will be bunched with a rubber band. With a sharp knife, cut away the stems just above the rubber band. Discard the cut stems. Carefully pick through the arugula and pull the leaves away from any remaining stems that are woody. (Leaving the stems as long as possible will add texture and spice to the salad.) Place the leaves in the ice bath and agitate gently by hand. Let soak for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the floating greens from the water, allowing any dirt to fall to the bottom of the bowl, and dry in a salad spinner. Drying in batches will help avoid crushing the delicate leaves.
Starting with the cara cara oranges, carefully cut away the top and bottom ends of each orange to expose the pulp of the fruit on both sides. Stand the oranges on one cut end so that the exposed pulp is facing up. Place the blade of your knife just inside the pith and slice down, following the curve of the fruit. Rotate the orange slightly and repeat the previous step. Continue to make these cuts until all of the
peel and pith are removed. Lay the peeled oranges on their sides and cut into ¼ inch thin slices.
Prepare the blood oranges in the same way, removing the seeds after slicing the fruit into ¼ inch wheels.
Prepare the kiwi in the same way as the cara cara oranges. (you could leave the kiwi skin on – it is totally edible!)
For the mandarins, simply peel them with your fingers, cut into ¼ inch wheels and remove the seeds.
For the pomelo: Using your fingernail, dig into the peel and pith and begin to tear away the thick layer of pith. (If you don’t have long fingernails, make an incision with the knife, being careful not to cut into the pulp, before beginning to tear away the pith and peel.) Once the pith and peel have been removed, pull the pomelo apart down the seams between segments. Using your fingernails, carefully peel away the membrane on the exposed surface of one of the pomelo segments. Pull the pulp from each segments and set aside. The segments do not need to be whole after being pulled away from the membrane, the goal is to remove the pulp in rustic chunks. Be careful not to puncture the individual “seeds” of pulp. Continue this process with each segment until you have removed all of the pulp from the pomelo. Discard the peel, pith and any seeds you may come across.
To make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine the crème fraiche, the zest of ½ Meyer lemon (prepared with a microplane), a small squeeze of Meyer lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
To serve: Arrange the wheels of citrus and kiwi on four chilled plates in a single, flat layer, mostly covering the face of each plate. Place the chunks of pomelo pulp rustically on top of the other fruit. Sprinkle just a bit of flaky sea salt on each piece of fruit. Add a small handful of arugula into the bowl and dress lightly with the crème fraiche dressing, adding more salt if necessary. Gently drape the dressed salad over the fruit and drizzle honey over the entire salad. Finish each salad with a healthy drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil.
