The first dish for the winter wine pairings with Cameron Hughes, we were looking to brighten up a wonderful white wine. Lot 367 a Chablis from France holds some nice citrus and mineral qualities that I though would pair very well with a winter fruit in season. Grapefruit has become a wonderful ingredient in the winter, providing some bright sweetness and acidity to a season that is traditionally focused around roasts and belly warming meals. I have been using grapefruit in many applications this winter, but my main one is definitely salads and salad dressings. It provides a perfect sweet and tart to a refreshing green salad.
In this particular pairing, we wanted to bring in a little savory and herb into the salad. We added some fried sage and fennel, along with the bitter and crisp greens arugula and watercress. The marriage of the grape fruit, fennel and bitter greens was an outstanding compliment to the Chablis. Topping the salad off with some feta was just what the dish needed to make it really pop. If you haven’t tried feta with grapefruit, you should do so immediately. Its stellar.
Add this salad to your dinner table soon! You will be happy pairing it with this wonderful white wine.
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for dressing and mix well, reserving whole grapefruit pieces for the salad.
In a large bowl, combine Arugula, Watercress, Fennel and Grapefruit supremes. Toss well with dressing. Top with Crumbled Feta & Fried Sage.
For cruton, in a small pan combine butter and bread cubes over high heat. Coat each piece well and let toast in the pan until golden brown
