Chasing Flavor

Winter Chicories

with Persimmons, Grilled Dates, and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings

It’s been a long time coming, but chicories are finally getting the attention they deserve in America. This family of hearty lettuces is my favorite thing to use in winter salads, as their slightly bitter flavor can stand up to pretty much anything you throw at them: raw and cooked preparations, punchy vinaigrettes, cheesy dressings, fruit, vegetables, you name it. They’re also sturdier than their soft-leafed cousins, so they won’t wilt if you dress them ahead of time—in many cases, they get better.

Another underappreciated ingredient in this salad is persimmon, a fruit that fascinates me and inspires me to come up with new dishes every winter (when they’re in season). You’ll likely encounter two kinds of persimmons at the market: Hachiya and Fuyu. Hachiyas are oblong (like a Roma tomato), custard-soft in texture, and mouth-puckeringly astringent when not perfectly ripe. I rarely use Hachiyas, but Fuyu persimmons are a joy: They’re firmer and have a great flavor that I’ve heard described as “an apricot dusted with cinnamon.”

You’re probably familiar with Belgian endive, escarole, and radicchio, but I strongly encourage you to seek out some new varieties, such as Treviso, Tardivo, and Castelfranco.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Makes about ½ cup

½ cup 100% pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons liquid from Pickled Jalapeños, or 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar plus a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon Colman’s mustard powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a medium saucepan, bring the pomegranate juice to a boil and reduce until syrupy. Let cool, then pour the reduced juice into a bowl. Add the jalapeño liquid, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, mustard powder, and salt. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified and season to taste with salt.

For Serving

1 cup Medjool, Halawi, or Khadrawy dates, halved lengthwise and pitted
1 head radicchio (or other chicory), cored and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
1 Belgian endive (or other chicory), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped mint
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt
1 Fuyu persimmon, cut into ⅛-inch wedges
Pomegranate Vinaigrette
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Lemon wedges
Freshly cracked black pepper

Prepare a hot grill or preheat a grill pan over high heat. Grill the dates, turning once or twice, until some char develops, about 1 minute. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into strips.

In a mixing bowl, toss the greens with the herbs, olive oil, and a couple pinches of flaky salt. Divide among salad plates or shallow bowls and top with the grilled dates and persimmon. Drizzle each salad with some of the pomegranate vinaigrette and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Finish the salads with a squeeze of lemon juice and some freshly cracked pepper. Serve.

The Takeaway

You’ll find grilled dates in many of my dishes. Like other dried fruit, they add a chewy texture and an intense sweetness that pairs especially well with bitter greens. But dates are also large enough to throw on the grill, and doing so caramelizes some of their sugars and gives them a light crunch as well. I usually use Medjool, Halawi, or Khadrawy from California, but whatever you use, make sure they’re not too dried out—the “fresher” the date, the better.

In the Brussels Sprout Salad on 120, we use fresh fruit and vegetable juice as the base for the dressing, but sometimes you need a more intense flavor, or a thicker, emulsified dressing that will adhere to heartier ingredients. In these cases, I reduce fruit juice down to a syrup, then blend that into a dressing. I do this often with cherry juice, grape juice, and citrus juices. Here we’re using pomegranate juice, which you can buy bottled (make sure to get pure, unsweetened juice), or you can juice your own by pulsing pomegranate seeds in a food processor, then straining the juice.