Spring greens salad with warm crème fraîche and black cocoa

Indulge in a vibrant spring greens salad drizzled with warm crème fraîche and sprinkled with rich black cocoa for a delightful burst of flavors.

Ingredients:

• grapefruit
• orange
• lemon
• cup distilled white vinegar
• teaspoons sugar
• cup vegetable oil
• tablespoon finely ground dried lemon verbena
• cup all-purpose flour
• tablespoons sugar
• tablespoons black cocoa powder
• tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• teaspoon baking soda
• Kosher salt
• tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• cup crème fraîche
• Freshly ground black pepper
• cups mixed greens (such as mâche, arugula, red chard, red romaine, and/or red and green oak
• Black cocoa powder can be found at some specialty foods stores and online.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°. Use a vegetable peeler to take wide strips of zest from a grapefruit, orange, and lemon. Place the zest on a wire rack placed inside a rimmed baking sheet. Turn off the oven and dry out the zest in the warm oven until it becomes brittle, which should take around 24-48 hours.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook vinegar and sugar together, stirring occasionally, until a thermometer reads 160°. Combine this vinegar mixture with the dried zest in a sealed nonreactive container. Store it covered in a cool, dark place for at least a week.
3. Mix oil and lemon verbena in a sealed container. Store it covered in a cool, dark place for at least a week.
4. Prepare the vinegar and oil a month in advance if needed. Keep them at room temperature.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°. Use an electric mixer on low speed to combine flour, sugar, black cocoa, Dutch-processed cocoa, baking soda, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add butter and beat the mixture until it looks like wet sand. Transfer the dough onto parchment paper and knead gently until no dry spots remain, approximately 1 minute. Roll out the dough on parchment paper into a 9" round that is about ⅛" thick. Place the dough on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges are set, for roughly 15 minutes. Let it cool, then break it into smaller pieces. Put them in a resealable bag, seal it, and crush them with a rolling pin until finely ground.
6. Warm crème fraîche, 1 Tbsp. citrus vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. lemon verbena oil gently in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking to mix. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
7. Soak the greens in very cold water until the leaves become crisp, which usually takes 8-10 minutes. Pat them dry with paper towels, then toss them with 2 Tbsp. citrus vinegar in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Place the greens on a platter, sprinkle 2 Tbsp. cocoa crumble on top, and drizzle with the warm crème fraîche mixture.
9. Prepare the cocoa crumble a week ahead if desired. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature.

Summary:

• Calories: 3180 kcal
• Fat: 289 g
• Protein: 20 g
• Carbs: 146 g
• Potassium: 1817 mg
• Magnesium: 191 mg