To give my palate a refresher, I made a salad of Crab, Fennel and Apple. The crab legs, boiled in salted water, have a naturally sweet taste. I shaved the fennel and apple thinly on a mandolin – that way I could leave them raw and have them soak up the vinaigrette nicely. The vinaigrette was Grapefruit, Honey and Mustard seed (and grapeseed oil), which added tang, bitter and sweet.
I love the presentation of the grapefruit cells which I got from Mr. Blumenthal. What can I say? He has great arty ideas. I added a few fennel fronds, mainly for contrast, but can also add more anise flavor, which you might totally dig. You can add some fronds when you’re mixing the salad if you like. There are also some pink grapefruit supremes (segments) on the side. The salad is best slightly chilled not cold. Serve with a warm drink (like an Apple Hot Toddy) to balance the chill.