Simple spring-to-summer salads, nicely dressed

The simplest salad — as witness our illustration — can become a gourmet offering with the addition of dazzling dressings. Today, we offer some wonderful possibilities, along with a famous old classic. Enjoy!

Grapefruit-Avocado Salad & Ginger-Cassis Dressing

(Serves 6)

2 large ruby grapefruits

1 large head of butter lettuce, leaves separated

1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced

Dressing:

3 tablespoons virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons Crème de Cassis (black currant liqueur) or Grenadine

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons minced (or finely grated) peeled fresh ginger

4 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar

Procedure: Peel and cut off white pith of grapefruits; cut each one crosswise into 4 slices, then cut each slice crosswise in half. Arrange lettuce leaves on platter, tearing larger ones in half. Top with grapefruit and avocado slices.

Whisk dressing ingredients together in small bowl; season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad, serve.

A few simple additions and a different dressing and Voila! Another masterpiece. Here’s how.

Mixed Citrus Salad & Orange/Ginger Vinaigrette

(Serves 8)

2 heads butter lettuce OR red or green leaf lettuces, rinsed well, patted dry

1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb

½ teaspoon EACH sea salt and ground black pepper

¼ cup orange-ginger vinaigrette (recipe follows)

4 limes

2 navel oranges

2 blood oranges

1 ruby grapefruit

Garnish: Snipped fennel fronds and chives

Dressing: (To be made the day before)

Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette:

(about 1 ½ cups)

½ cup fresh orange juice

½ cup virgin olive oil

¼ cup honey

¼ cup champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and whisk to combine. Place in airtight container and refrigerate at least 24 hours before use.

With a sharp paring knife, peel all the citrus, removing white pith and cutting segments free from membranes. Frisee lettuce with a sharp knife into narrow shreds; toss into a medium bowl with the fennel, salt, pepper, and the ¼-cup of orange-ginger vinaigrette.

Arrange greens on a large coved platter to cover about half of it lengthwise; arrange fruits in eight (or number of guests) artful clusters of lime, navel orange, blood orange and grapefruit . Garnish fruit clusters with chopped fennel/chives, drizzle with some of the remaining dressing and serve with good salad servers so that each guest may easily place a helping of frisee and accompanying fruit on their plate. (You may serve it already composed on individual salad plates if you wish). The remaining dressing may be refrigerated for up to a week tightly covered.

Note: Both of the preceding recipes call for grated ginger; I often cheat a bit by using candied ginger — which adds a piquant sweetness to the “bite” — grate it as you would the peeled root.

Our final recipe is another “oldie.” In the early 1900s, Grandma Riesland partook of a luncheon at the famous Waldorf Hotel in New York. There, she discovered the then newly created Waldorf Salad, and became enamored of that classic, serving it often. Today it has become a hodge-podge of ingredients but the original contained just four items topped with a classic boiled dressing.

Classic Waldorf Salad

(per person)

1 cup thinly diced sweet-tart apples (Mackintosh or other older type was doubtless used, but Granny Smith suits well)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup sliced celery, strings removed

1 cup seeded red grapes, sliced in half

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 head lettuce outer leaf

Boiled Dressing:

1 egg; 1 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon flour; 1 cup water; ½ cup apple cider vinegar. Combine egg, sugar, flour in saucepan. Add enough water to make a smooth paste. Add remaining water and vinegar and bring to boil, whisking constantly till thickened. Cool before using.

If apple peels are thin and tight, do not peel: The color and taste are needed. Thinly slice/dice apples into a large salad bowl, toss with lemon juice. Add celery, grapes and walnuts. Pour dressing over and toss, then arrange into a lettuce leaf. No salt or pepper is needed in this salad.