Melon With Radicchio, Crispy Prosciutto + Caramelized Honey-Black Pepper Vinaigrette
FROM TASTE + TECHNIQUE BY NAOMI POMEROY
serves
INGREDIENTS
For the vinaigrette
2 tbsp local + wild honey
2 tsp finely minced shallot
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad
4 cups ice cubes
8 cups water
1 large head radicchio
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1/2 small cantaloupe
8 very thin slices of prosciutto
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Flaky finishing salt
Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Make the vinaigrette. Heat the honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it bubbles, thickens slightly, and turns a shade darker, about one minute. Remove immediately from the heat. Be careful not to overcook the honey. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, salt, mustard, and pepper. Allow this mixture to stand for five minutes, then whisk in the honey and the oil.If the honey seizes up when you stir it in, put the entire mixture back into the saucepan used to cook the honey. Set the pan over medium heat and stir to dissolve. When the dressing has cooled, check for seasoning (dip a piece of radicchio into the dressing) and adjust as needed. Make the salad. Fill a large bowl with the ice and water. Quarter the radicchio lengthwise and remove the core. Tear the radicchio quarters into roughly two-inch pieces. Soak the radicchio in the ice water for one hour. Pick the leaves from the parsley bunch and add them to the ice water. Drain the radicchio and parsley and dry them thoroughly in a salad spinner. Wrap them in a paper towel or kitchen towel, place inside a plastic bag, and set aside in refrigerator. Peel and seed the melon. Slice it in quarter inch thick half-moons. Set aside on a plate or in a bowl in the refrigerator. (Uncovered is fine). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Lay the prosciutto slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for five minutes or until the fat is golden brown. If it isn't ready, return the baking sheet to the oven, but check every minute to ensure the prosciutto doesn't burn. You should expect light smoking. The prosciutto will crisp up once it has cooled to room temperature. Put the chilled radicchio and parsley in a metal mixing bowl. Using a large-hole Microplane grater, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano into the mixture. Season lightly with flaky finishing salt and pepper. Pour a quarter cup of the vinaigrette around the perimeter of the salad and mix in from the sides with your hands, tossing well. Taste the greens for acidity and sweetness and add more vinaigrette to taste. Arrange three or four melon slices in an overlapping pattern of each plate. Cover with the radicchio-parsley mixture and top with one piece of crispy prosciutto. Spoon a generous teaspoon of vinaigrette over the melon slices and top with a little finishing salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
