Jicama and Blood Orange Salad with Mint Cream and Pomegranate Molasses

I kept seeing Jicama at the grocery store, but had never tasted it before. Intrigued, I have been looking for a way to use it in an exciting dish. I decided to make a salad based on a recipe I found in the New York Times; Jicama Salad. I decided to go with Cantaloupe instead of Watermelon; as it is rarely in season and I would like to eat this throughout the year. I also adjusted the proportions of ingredients as I found my first attempt with the original recipe yielded a sweet, almost dessert like salad. My version is more savoury with less honey and light sour cream. The combination of crispy jicama, warm and mellow cantaloupe with mint cream is so delightful!

Servings: 4 (side dishes) 2 (meal)  Preparation Time: (active) 30 mins, (total)  30 mins

Ingredients

Salad

1 jicama, peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch strips on a mandolin

2 blood oranges, peeled and cut in segments

1/4 cantaloupe, peeled, de-seeded and cut in thin strips

1/4 cup mint leaves, thinly sliced

sunflower seeds (if you like)

Vinaigrette

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp honey

1 tsp salt

Mint Cream

1/4 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup mint, thinly sliced

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp honey

 

Instructions

Prepare a medium sized bowl with cool water and a splash of lime juice; set aside. Peel the jicama and cut it into  1/4 inch segments using a sharp knife. Slice on a mandolin and immediately submerge in the lime water to stop from browning. Peel and segment the blood oranges. Slice the mint in thin strips. Drain the jicama.

In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients for the dressing and toss with the jicama, blood oranges and mint. Set aside.

Using an immersion blender, mix all the ingredients for the mint cream, until you have a smooth consistency. Arrange salads on plates. Drizzle mint cream over the salad. Sprinkle on sunflower seeds if you like and if you have some pomegranate molasses on hand, a drizzle of that too! (The pomegranate molasses is not crucial. This salad is wonderful with or without.) Enjoy!