Recipe: Homemade Citrus Salad

One of my good friends Mike hosted a dinner party at his new cabin on the river and invited his two friends who are chefs by hobby to come cook for us all! And, it was a complete blast! I am going to share with you my favorite course of the entire menu - which I duplicated for lunch this week. And, the best part is that it is not only super easy to make, it does not take a long time to create! It is really phenomenal! If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen a sneak peek of this salad! And, this can be made ahead of time!

Ingredients:

• 1 Grapefruit
• 2 Blood Oranges
• 2 Cara Cara Oranges (Naval works just as well)
• 1 Purple Onion
• 6 Mint Leaves
• 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• 1/4 C Feta Cheese Crumbles (Goat Cheese works just as well)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, place a deep strainer on top (this will hold the fruit and allow the juices to drip into the bowl (the juice will be used in the dressing later- so save as much as possible). 
2. Take the fruit and remove all peelings. Set peelings aside. Slice fruit (until each piece looks like a star in the center) and place into strainer. Take peelings from fruit and squeeze any remaining juice into the bowl with the rest of the fruit. 
3. Julienne 1/2C of purple onion and set into juice mixture in large bowl. This will allow the onion to slightly "pickle", which will reduce the strong taste of the onion. 
4. Place fruit in strainer on serving plate or platter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Dressing/Vinaigrette: Using the juice from the sliced citrus fruit (it should just have purple onions in it at this time), add to it the Olive Oil and Dijon mustard. Whisk until well mixed. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and adjust to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Before serving, finely slice mint leaves. Top fruit platter with dressing and sprinkle onions, cheese and mint on top. 

This will make 2-3 servings - however, you can double the fruit, onion and dressing mixture as needed for additional people. This recipe is a "palette cleanser" so if you are serving for dinner- make it your first course! Saves well and can be divided up for lunch easily. Enjoy!