I first had this salad at 1550 Powell Restaurant, in San Francisco. The lettuce was local, and I thought this simple dressing was such a good complement, I decided to recreate it at home.
INGREDIENTSMash the cheese, mix with mayonnaise. Stir buttermilk into mixture slowly. Season with salt & pepper.
Wash, spin the greens. Quarter the butter lettuce or tear the Oak Leaf into bite-size pieces, place in a large bowl. Start with a small amount of dressing first, maybe 1 heaping tablespoon. Toss well with salad. The dressing should only lightly cover the salad. Garnish sparingly with nuts.
This recipe was passed on to me by my grandmother, who learned it while on honeymoon at the Lowell Inn in Stillwater, MN. I can just imagine her asking the waiter if she could get the recipe, while my Grandfather probably wondered what exactly he was in for. The dressing is good on fruit, especially, I've discovered, on grapefruit and avocado.
Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add honey and blend well. Add oil and vinegar a little at a time, alternating, beating or briskly whisking between each addition. Add grated onion and celery seed. Makes about 2/3 cups of dressing. You can make this in advance, and store it in the refrigerator.
For the salad, the easiest way to section a grapefruit is to wash & peel it, but leave all the white stuff around it. Using a serrated knife, cut the white stuff off the grapefruit, just barely cutting into the fruit. Cut the grapefruit in half, from stem to bottom. Next, try to pry the sections out from between the membranes. Place the sections in a large bowl. Be sure not to stir your fruit yet, you don't want the sections to fall apart!
The rest of the fruit salad is easy. Wash the avocados & cut them in half (stem to bottom). Pull out the seed, then scoop the flesh out with a large spoon. Cut the flesh into bite-size pieces, and add to grapefruit. Don't stir yet! Cut the kiwis in half (doesn't matter which way), and using a teaspoon, spoon the fruit out from the skins. Cut them into bite-size pieces and add to bowl of fruit. You can prep this fruit salad ahead of time & keep it in the refrigerator.
To serve, carefully distribute equal portions of all fruits into individual serving bowls. Drizzle with dressing. Makes a nice appetizer, with its color and taste contrasts.