Radicchio, Pear, and Apple Salad

August 1 2013

You’ve probably seen radicchio on your plate before, even if you didn’t know its name at the time.  It’s known to have vibrant purple leaves with white veins and taste somewhat like an endive– an earthy, bitter flavor.  Radicchio is a great source of vitamins K, C, and E, as well the compound intybin, which aids in digestion and liver detoxification.

Here is a radicchio salad recipe to try out at home. You can experiment with flavor pairings— in addition to apples and pears, radicchio tastes great with roasted cauliflower, orzo, walnuts, blue cheese, and olives.

Radicchio, Apple and Pear Salad

radicchio salad

Ingredients

  • 1 extra-large egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
  • 2 tablespoons finely diced shallot
  • 1 to 2 lemons, for juicing
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 apples, firm and crisp
  • 2 pears, Asian or your favorite variety
  • 2 heads radicchio
  • 2 tablespoons sliced mint
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Place the egg yolk in a stainless steel bowl. Begin whisking in the grapeseed oli drop by drop, as slowly as you can bear.  Continue in this manner until the mixture begins to thicken.  Once the sauce has emulsified, you can add the rest of the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking all the time.
  2. Combine the shallot, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the buttermilk. Gently whisk this mixture into the sauce, and taste for balance and seasoning.
  3. Slice the apples and pears away from the core. Cut into 1/8-inch razor thin slices and place them in a large salad bowl. Tear the radicchio into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad bowl. Toss salad with half of dressing (Going suggests three-fourths but I found this to make an overly-creamy salad; you can always add more) and season with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a little more dressing if necessary.
  4. Transfer to a platter (chilled, if you’re being fancy) and scatter the mint and parsley on top.

Recipe source: smitten kitchen

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