Endive, Orange, and Avocado Salad

Now that farmers’ markets are fully stocked and hot weather is creeping up on us, I’ll be kissing my oven goodbye and putting it to sleep for a few months. I don’t know about you, but it costs us an arm and a leg to pump the A/C into our apartment enough that I don’t faint from oversweating; the last thing I want to do is make it harder for our little cooling engine that couldn’t. So long as I can hack it, I’ll be making salads regularly. Summer’s produce is fresh, juicy, flavorful, and tasty without any heat applied. Why make stew when tomatoes are perfect, yes perfect, with just some olive oil and salt? And when I’m making salads, I’m using avocados in almost every one of them.

A friend of mine calls avocados “god’s butter.” They’re smooth and creamy without being overly rich, and I could eat a whole one for breakfast lunch a snack. Just sprinkle a little fleur de sel on top and they’re good to go.

In this here salad, avocados really shine. Bitter, crunchy endive and sweet, tart, juicy oranges contrast the mellow richness of the avocado perfectly. You can take its dressing in all sorts of crazy directions, but the one I made was dead simple: orange muscat vinegar (a new pantry addition — absolutely fantastic!) and a couple drops of good quality olive oil. And of course, a bit of fleur de sel for those avocados. Feel free to use flaky salt if you don’t have fleur de sel.

Estimate 1/2 and avocado, 1 orange, and 1 endive per person; Separate the endive leaves from their base, halve them, stick them in a bowl with separated sections of orange (I used valencia seedless) and thick slices of avocado, and drizzle the dressing overtop. Finish with salt, and do enjoy these coming summer months.