A few weeks ago I catered a three-course plated dinner for 10 at my office. Now, I love a good dinner party, but I’d never actually done a plated dinner. My normal routine, cooking yummy food then making people serve themselves, wasn’t going to fly. Commence googling of food pics. About three hours later, I found this epic shaved fennel salad with fresh citrus that doesn’t just look pretty…it is an explosion of awesomeness in the mouth. That is not an exaggeration. With a few easy tweaks it was the perfect starter to a great meal!

Shaved Fennel and Grapefruit Salad (Serves 10 as an appetizer) 

• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 2 large fennel bulbs, leaves and stems trimmed off
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 large ruby grapefruits
• 2 small shallots, peeled and cut into paper-thin slices
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp lime zest
• salt and pepper

1. Toast nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Let cool. Roll the hazelnuts around in a dishcloth to loosen skins. Chop coarsely and set aside.
2. Slice fennel very thinly with a sharp knife or on a mandolin. Toss in a bowl with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
3. Supreme grapefruits, holding over a small bowl to collect juice. Add grapefruit segments and 1/2 of juice to the bowl of fennel.
4. Add shallots, olive oil, and lime zest. Toss lightly and portion onto plates. Sprinkle nuts around the edge of the plate and serve.