Mesclun Greens with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Usually, the fun part about serving salads for me is to make vinaigrettes and dressings at home. This grapefruit vinaigrette recipe was inspired by a citrus vinaigrette recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks: Fields of Greens.

A typical vinaigrette has 1:4 or 1:3 ratio of vinegar:oil, and citrus juices are a good substitute for vinegars.

In this recipe, the grapefruit juice can be substituted with cider vinegar or raspberry vinegar to get a different flavor - adjust the acid:oil ratio as desired. I like the tang from the grapefruit juice, so, the acid:oil ratio is not quite the typical one in this recipe.

Ingredients
1 pkt mesclun greens or any favorite spring greens mix
1 large shallot, or ½ medium red onion, sliced thin
¼ red bell pepper, sliced thin
some chopped toasted walnuts or almonds
some dried cranberries
1-2 pepperoncini (optional)
1 grapefruit

Grapefruit Vinaigrette:
¼ cup grapefruit juice
2 Tbsp hazelnut oil
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Tabasco sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 small shallot, finely minced
salt to taste

Preparation:

1. sauté the onions with a pinch of salt and brown sugar till it carmelizes, set aside to cool
2. cut the grapefruit in half, use one half to get the juice for the vinaigrette and the other to extract sections of the fruit for the salad
3. whisk together the juice and all the vinaigrette ingredients,taste and adjust flavors, if needed; vinaigrettes tend to be unstable emulsions and separate, so, whisk well before serving
4. assemble the salad, top with walnuts, cranberries and grapefruit sections, drizzle the vinaigrette, toss lightly before serving