Dessert chicory salad

Notice there’s no traditional recipe here. For this cheese course/salad, you’ll select the prettiest specialty chicories you can find; pictured here are Castelfranco radicchio and Rosa del Veneto radicchio, along with thinly shaved radishes and fresh parsley*. You’ll make the simplest dressing out of lemon juice or champagne vinegar and good quality olive oil, whisk it together with a touch of honey—more honey than you would usually add—and some salt and pepper. Taste to make sure it has the right balance of tart, sweet, and salty. Choose a decadently rich cheese; my favorite choice for this after-dinner course is gorgonzola cremificato, pictured. A triple-cream cheese such as Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam also goes nicely, or Torta del Casar. Serve with slices of good, rustic bread and arrange simply but prettily on plates.

*Note: Pale pink chicories such as the ones pictured tend to be less bitter than deep red varieties. Belgian endive can be used in this salad, as well.