This recipe can easily be doubled, or tripled for that matter, to feed a crowd.
While Shari and Garen Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard have called Rutherford home for nearly 40 years, when it comes to Thanksgiving, they return to their middle-American roots—with a California twist. To offer a little lightness alongside the mashed potatoes, bread stuffing and turkey, Shannon Staglin drizzles Meyer lemon vinaigrette over a hearty salad of bitter greens like escarole and frisée, fuyu persimmons and pomegranate seeds from the family’s tree.
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Makes 1 cup
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 2 Tbsps. Champagne vinegar
- 2 Tbsps. fresh Meyer lemon juice
- Drizzle of organic honey
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Combine the minced shallot, Champagne vinegar and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl and allow shallot to "macerate" in acids for at least 30 minutes.
- Whisk in the honey and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Salad
Makes 6 servings
- 1 small head of radicchio, cored and torn into bite-size pieces
- 2 heads Belgian endive, trimmed and torn into individual pieces
- 2 cups of assorted bitter greens such as escarole, frisée or curly endive
- 1 pomegranate, seeded
- 2 ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled and cut into thin wedges
- In a large bowl, combine greens, pomegranate seeds and persimmons with ¼ cup of the vinaigrette to lightly coat, adding more vinaigrette as necessary.
- Store the remaining dressing in an air-tight container and refrigerate for later use.
