Blood Orange, Beet and Basil Salad

So I had a crazy flashback while making this blood orange salad.

I was standing in the restaurant in 105degrees, in my little cheffer outfit, segmenting an entire bucket of blood oranges. It was my first time working with the citrus, so naturally I was astonished by the bright, bold color.

I used the orange segments as a garnish for a fancy raw cheesecake, which was also drizzled with a sweet blood orange glaze. 

(from back in the day! I can’t believe that was 5 years ago)

We stored the cheesecake in the freezer because the cashew filling softened quickly, and we’d pop one off a plate, and garnish just before serving. We usually used our chef’s knives to remove said cheesecake from the plate, and you can probably see where this is going. I had a stubborn cheesecake, and when I finally got it off the plate, the plate went flying through the air, shattered (in an intimate and quiet dining atmosphere) and I also gashed my hand in the process. The end, and the reason why my stint in restaurant cooking (or un-cooking) was fairly short-lived ?

I couldn’t help but grab a bag of blood oranges when I saw them at Trader Joe’s. A tiny part of me throughout about doing another raw cheesecake, but I decided to keep things simple and let the natural flavor of the oranges shine, instead of being muddled with a ton of ingredients.

Follow this recipe to make a bright and savory blood orange salad.

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Simple and delicious.

No plates were damaged in the making of this salad.

Do you have any awesome blood orange recipes? I think the juice would be glorious in a mimosa or sangria!

Have you ever worked in the restaurant atmosphere? Any awesome fail stories? ?

Have a great day!

xo

G