Chocolate, orange and bitter leaves Salad

img_2756

Chocolate? On a salad? Sounds crazy but works really well. Started out as a total experiment at home, but ended up with a dinner-party showstopper.  

Ingredients (makes enough for 4 – 6)

2 – 3 large sweet oranges (Cara Cara Navels are perfect if available)

1 small head raddichio

1 small head whitlof

1 small block bitter dark chocolate (70{903f9f0481f25b880c65e24baaaf9b8a2472ccfd2946c4518f102f16e28e9be4} – 80{903f9f0481f25b880c65e24baaaf9b8a2472ccfd2946c4518f102f16e28e9be4} cocoa is good)

2 teaspoons of fennel seeds

Handful of Walnuts, cut into small pieces

½ cup of mint leaves, cut up

Walnut Oil

 

Method

  • Break up Raddichio and Whitlof and cut into thin strips. Arrange at the bottom of a shallow salad dish. (Reserve a handful of the leaves)
  • Peel oranges and slice into thin pieces. Segment each slice and arrange over the lettuce
  • Cut up Walnuts and mint leaves and sprinkle over the top with the fennel seeds
  • Place remaining lettuce over the top. This will help protect the chocolate from having too much contact with the citric acid until you are ready to eat
  • Poor a good amount of walnut oil over the top. This will mix with the orange juice to form the dressing
  • Using an apple or potato peeler, shave the block of chocolate into thin curls. Disperse evenly over the top of the salad
  • Enjoy