Winter Citrus in a Pretty Pink Poppy Seed Cake

Today’s post is about a recipe fail....  But this is not a bad thing.  In a small way it is somewhat akin to the way a “foster fail” in animal rescue circles isn’t a bad thing.  Even though the result wasn’t the goal, ultimately the way things ended was very good.  Today’s cake is everything a cake should be.  It’s tender, beautiful to look at, pleasantly sweet… has a lovely, even grain…and is super delicious.  One might wonder what could possibly be wrong with it.  Well, the truth is, it isn’t the cake I intended to make.

 A few weeks ago a friend shared a slice of a delicious grapefruit cake with me.  Around the same time I saw a grapefruit poppy seed cake on Instagram.   These grapefruit cakes made me want to make my own grapefruit cake.  So I decided to make one…with poppy seeds.  As delicious as the first cake I tasted was, I wanted more of a pound cake texture (dense and finely grained).  The image I saw on Instagram was more in the style of a pound cake, but it seemed to get its flavor boost from slices of grilled grapefruit shingled on top of the loaf —which didn’t bode well for storage purposes (and one of the things I like about pound cake is how well it stores).  As I was thinking about the possibilities, I looked at a lot of recipes for pound cake-like poppy seed cakes.  But ultimately I ended up drawing mostly from Ina Garten’s lemon cake, Rose Levy Beranbaum's lemon poppy seed pound cake and Helen Goh’s lemon poppy seed cake.  With such fine recipes as my starting point, switching to grapefruit from lemon seemed like a fairly easy transition.

 And as I took my first run at the cake out of the oven, my hopes were high.  The cake looked perfect: golden brown, gently domed, etc.  It drank up the grapefruit syrup without any resistance.  Sometimes cakes act like “I’m full…no more.…”  And as you try to coax just a little more syrup in, it just runs off.  But not this cake—all the syrup was easily absorbed.  I made a beautiful pale, peachy pink (just the color of a pink grapefruit) glaze that fell in nice, thick random drips down the sides of the cake.

It sliced beautifully—without tearing or producing a mess of crumbs—displaying a fine even crumb on the interior.  Then.  I tasted a slice.  It was tender, sweet, moist and delicious. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t taste at all like grapefruit!  It had juice, loads of zest, grapefruit syrup and a grapefruit frosting—but it only had a vague kind of general citrus flavor.  I was mystified.  I gave out slices to friends—all of whom loved the cake (I had requests for the recipe) and all of whom agreed it didn’t taste of grapefruit. 

 I tried three more versions of the cake.  In the first I reduced a full cup of grapefruit juice down to two tablespoons before adding it to the batter.  (A nice bonus of having to squeeze so much juice was extra zest that I candied and used as a garnish…)  In the second I replaced all of the other liquid in the cake with straight grapefruit juice.  Neither of these produced a more discernible grapefruit flavor.  At this point, I decided to abandon grapefruit altogether and go with the blood orange that had been suggested by one of my first taste testers.  

The blood orange cake was also beautiful…and the frosting didn’t require any food color (in fact, I had to use part milk in the frosting to keep it from being a dark pink).  Again…I had high hopes.  Once again only a general citrus flavor…

You might wonder why I didn’t try varying some of the other ingredients—altering the amount of sugar…or the type of leavener…etc.  I could have.  And all of these things might have helped create the grapefruit taste I was looking for.  But any of these changes would also necessarily change the texture and character of the cake.  And since the texture and character of this cake was just about perfect, I wasn’t interested in pursuing any of those alterations.

Instead, I have decided to rename the cake.  I no longer have a failed Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake, I have a wonderfully successful Pink Citrus Poppy Seed Cake.  It is delicious when made with grapefruit…  Or blood orange.  I imagine it would be excellent with Cara Cara oranges…or any juicy tangerine you might have on hand (there is a lovely new one out called a Ruby Tango that has great flavor and a beautiful rosy flesh).  Lemons would be delicious too.  Just think, if you made it with lemons and tinted the frosting pink, you would have a Pink Lemonade Poppy Seed cake. 

Pink Citrus & Poppy Seed Cake

1 1/2 c. All-purpose Flour (170g)

1 1/4 t. Baking Powder (5g)

3/8 t. salt

14 T. Unsalted Butter, room temperature (200g)

1 c. Sugar (200g)

1 T. grapefruit zest (or other citrus zest to match your chosen citrus fruit)--see note

2 eggs plus 1 yolk, room temperature (120g)

6 T. yogurt (90g)

2 T. grapefruit juice (28g)…or orange juice…or tangerine juice….etc.

2 T. plus 1 t. poppy seeds (20g)

3 T. sugar (38g)

3 T. citrus juice (45g)—match juice in cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (see note).  Butter and flour a 6-cup loaf pans.

Combine the dry ingredients and set aside.  Cream the butter, sugar and zest until light and very fluffy (about 5 minutes...possibly longer if the room is cool).  Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time.  Combine the yogurt and juice.  Fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the yogurt mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Add the poppy seeds with the last addition of flour. Turn the batter into the prepared pan.  

Bake until golden and a cake tester comes out clean—about an 60 to 70 minutes. 

Combine 3 T. sugar with 3 T. juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. 

When the cake is done, cool in the pan for 5 minutes; invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been lightly greased (pan spray works well for this).  Brush the bottom of the cake with syrup. Set the cake upright and brush more syrup over the top and sides.  Let cool completely.  

While the cake cools make the powdered sugar glaze (recipe below).  Scrape the glaze onto the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to smooth the top and force the glaze to the edges where it should slip slowly and randomly down the sides of the cake. Garnish with a sprinkled “stripe” of poppy seeds down the center.  When the frosting is "set", wrap the cake airtight. 

Notes:  

• My 6-cup loaf pan is pyrex/glass, so I lower the oven temperature to 325° F when I make the cake. 
• You can add 2 to 3 times this amount of zest.  There is a lot more flavor in the zest than the juice and increasing the amount of zest is the best way to boost the citrus flavor. 
• If you have time, combine the zest with the sugar ahead of time.  The zest will infuse the sugar with citrus flavor and amplify the citrus taste of the cake.

Pink Citrus Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar (120 g.)

1 T. melted butter (15 g,)
1 1/2 T. freshly squeezed (and strained) citrus (match cake) juice
1/4 t. freshly squeezed (and strained) lemon juice

1/4 t. vanilla

Food color to get pale peachy pink color (see note)

Combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, citrus juices and vanilla in a bowl and beat until smooth. The glaze should be fairly thick…but will flow a bit too.  If it is too thick, add a bit more juice.  Use immediately since the melted butter will begin to firm up right away.  (If the glaze sets up too quickly, a few seconds in the microwave will soften it nicely.)

Note:  If making a blood orange cake you will not need food color.  Instead, cut juice to 1 or 2 t. and make up the remaining amount with milk.  If you don’t cut the liquid with milk the frosting will be a dark pink instead of a pale pastel shade.

Printable Version

Holiday Almond Cake with Clementine Syrup and a Chocolate Glaze

Last year, right before Christmas, I happened across a recipe that looked so good I made it right away even though my baking list for the holidays was already quite long.  I served it as part of my family's Christmas Eve buffet.  I loved it so much that I made a mental note to make it again for the following Christmas (this year)...and to share the recipe here.

Besides being absolutely delicious, the cake—a clementine scented almond cake, cloaked in a dark chocolate glaze—was everything it was advertised to be:  light in texture...and an excellent keeper.  Under normal circumstances, this last quality wouldn't be a priority....this cake is pretty hard to resist...but at Christmas—when there are so many sweet things to eat—it really is nice to have a cake on hand that slices into beautiful, thin slivers...and also stays moist and flavorful for at least a week.  With its citrus and almond flavors...and its longer shelf life, it really is a perfect holiday cake.

The source of the recipe is the book Jerusalem (by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi)...although I ran across it in an article on Christmas "puddings" at The Guardian.  Anytime I make a cake (or any kind of baked good) from a recipe that has come to me unchanged from another country, I always examine it carefully before attempting it in my kitchen.  Ingredients vary—sometimes quite a bit—from country to country and in baking the difference in the size of an egg, the protein content of the flour, etc., can make the difference between success and failure.  As I examined this recipe, I realized that the ingredient percentages were quite similar to a couple of cakes that are already in my regular repertoire:  Amor Polenta and my pistachio cake. 

Both of these cakes use cake flour, so I used cake flour instead of the British "plain flour" called for in the recipe.  Plain flour is not quite as low protein as cake flour...and plain flour is probably not bleached...but I still felt the cake flour (since it is what I use in the two other cakes) would give a better result than a straight substitution of my normal unbleached, all-purpose flour. 

The only other change I made was to the method.  It is a bit unusual in that the nut flour is creamed into the creamed sugar and butter before adding the eggs, but it is the same way I make the Amor Polenta and the pistachio cake.  Since it works well for these cakes, I was fairly certain it would to the same for this cake too.  And it did.

I realize the holidays are for the most part over...and that many people will be starting their diets tomorrow.   In light of these things, a holiday cake recipe might not be the best post at the moment....   But even if you are starting a diet, the best kind of diet allows you a treat once in a while.  I think this cake would make a pretty satisfying special treat.  Furthermore, clementines will continue to be in season and delicious for another month or so.  During that time I feel confident that there will be many occasions for which this cake would be perfect.  And if not, there's always next Christmas.  It will be here before we know it.

Almond Cake with Clementine Syrup & Chocolate Glaze

100 g. cake flour

1/2 t. salt

200 g. unsalted butter

300 g. granulated sugar

Zest of 4 clementines

Zest of 1 lemon

280 g. fine almond meal, lightly toasted (see notes)

1 t. vanilla

5 large eggs, room temperature

Juice of 4 clementines, strained

Juice of 1 lemon, strained

80 g. sugar

90 g. unsalted butter, diced

150 g. bittersweet chocolate, broken up

1/2 T. (10 g.) honey

1/2 T. brandy

55 to 60 gr. diced candied orange peel

Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter a 9 1/2-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Butter the parchment. Dust the pan with flour and set aside.

Sift the cake flour and salt onto a piece of parchment and set aside.

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and zests and continue to beat until fluffy and white, about 5 minutes on medium-high speed.

Turning the speed down to low, add the vanilla and almond meal. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is again fluffy—another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating briefly again on medium-high speed after each addition until the batter returns to fluffiness and scraping down the sides before each next addition.

Fold in the sifted dry ingredients. Turn into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when it is a deep golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

When the cake is almost done baking, in a small pan bring the citrus juices (you should have about 120ml...don't use any more than this) and another 80 grams of sugar to a boil.  Remove from the heat.

The moment the cake comes out of the oven, run a thin palette knife around the edge and release the sides.  Immediately brush the cake all over with the syrup, continuing until all the syrup is absorbed.  Leave the cake to cool completely. The cake may be served as is, or glazed with a chocolate icing.

To make the icing, melt the butter, chocolate and honey together in the microwave or over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Stir in the brandy.  Pour the icing over the cooled cake, allowing it to dribble naturally down the sides...it may not cover the cake completely.  

Allow the icing to set.  Garnish with diced candied peel, if you like. 

Serve in thin wedges.  (Slice the cake with a thin sharp knife that has been run under hot water and wiped clean...the hot knife will then slice cleanly through the set chocolate glaze.) 

Serves 12.

Note: If you like, you may toast the almond meal.  To toast nut flour, spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350° oven until golden and fragrant—about five minutes. Cool before using. Watch carefully—it will darken and burn quickly.

(Recipe adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi)

Printable Recipe

Marking the Passage of Another Year: Pistachio Pancakes with Blueberries & Clementines

Four years ago today, to celebrate the fact that I had actually managed to maintain a food blog for a whole year, I shared a recipe for a favorite pistachio cake.  On the same day one year later, I decided to publish the recipe for another pistachio cake. At that point, it seemed to me that I had established a tradition of sorts:  posting something pistachio to mark the passing of each year.   That “something pistachio” has more often than not been cake…but not always.  

Each year it has been a fun exercise to come up with a recipe that features pistachios.  Some of these recipes have been involved, and consequently the focus of my attention for some length of time.  Others have been the result of a happy and inspired moment in the kitchen.  In either case, the question of what I will do for the current year hovers in the back of my mind as the day approaches.   It is no doubt for this reason that a couple of weeks ago, while I was finishing up a plate of particularly fluffy and delicious buttermilk pancakes, it occurred to me that pistachio pancakes would be a nice thing to do this year.

Most baked goods respond well to the replacement of 20 to 25 percent of the flour with a finely ground nut (basically a nut flour)…and this is what I did to make my pistachio pancakes.  If you don’t have an implement that will grind nuts flour fine (I use a rotary cheese grater fitted with a fine drum—the food processor will create nut butter…not flour), you could just make plain pancakes and sprinkle a few extra finely minced pistachios over the cakes as they cook. They will not be quite the same, but you will still have pistachio pancakes…and they will still be delicious.

In general, I love pancakes that are dressed with nothing but butter and real maple syrup, but because pistachio is delicious with fruit, I decided to add blueberries to the pancakes, and to serve the cakes with a scattering of fresh blueberries and Clementine filets...and more chopped pistachios.  To the aforementioned maple syrup I added the juice from the Clementines, simmering briefly to thicken the syrup since the juice dilutes what is already a relatively thin syrup.  If I had thought about it beforehand, I might have added the zest of the Clementine too.  The finished plate of pancakes was delicious, festive and colorful.  (And since the cakes happen to be tinged with green, they would make a fun way to start off your St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow.)

So there you have it: pistachio pancakes to mark year number five.  In some ways it is hard to believe it has been that long….and in others, not so much.  Blogging has become a normal part of my days…an old friend really.  Sometimes it occupies more of my thoughts and my time than others…but for now it has become a fixture in my life.  I love the way it forces me to “finish” recipes and to follow through on dishes that I am working on and experimenting with.  Mostly though, I love the way that it allows me to share the things I make with even more people.  When I hear back from someone who has made something I posted—and in so doing has learned something that makes their time in the kitchen more efficient and enjoyable…and the food on their table more delicious—it truly makes my day.  So thank you for visiting…and for trying some of the recipes…and in the process, allowing me to share a part of my table with you.

Pistachio Pancakes

3/4 c. plus 2 T. (100 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 c. (30 grams) finely ground (flour fine) pistachios
2 T. (25 g.) sugar
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 egg, beaten
2 T. melted unsalted butter
1 c. buttermilk
1 to 2 T. Butter for the griddle/pan
1/2 to 3/4 c. blueberries
3 T. finely chopped toasted pistachios

Soft Butter
Warm Maple Syrup (see note)
Blueberries (1/3 c.)
Clementine filets (from 2 clementines)
coarsely chopped toasted Pistachios

Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.
Place the egg in a small bowl and whisk in the butter. Whisk in the buttermilk.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well.  Mix together in as few strokes as possible using a wide rubber spatula.  The batter will be lumpy with a few spots of flour showing…this is OK.

Melt some butter in a nonstick or cast iron pan over medium to medium-high heat, or in an electric skillet set at 365°. Scoop each pancake using a scant quarter cup ice cream scoop, spreading slightly with the back of the scoop to form 3 inch cakes. Scatter a few blueberries and some of the finely chopped pistachios over each cake.  

Continue to cook until bubbles begin to form and pop on the surface or each cake—about 2 minutes. 

Carefully flip the pancake over and cook until springy to the touch—another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or so. Keep the pancakes warm in a low oven until all of the cakes have been cooked. Makes 8 to 9 pancakes.

Variations:

• Replace pistachios with any favorite nut flour. Pecans would be particularly nice…almonds would be good too. 
• Omit the blueberries
• Substitute chocolate chips for the blueberries. 
• Add the zest of an orange to the batter.
• Top with a dollop of yogurt (plain or sweetened) or fresh ricotta

Note:  If serving with the Clementine filets, add the collected juices of the clementines to the maple syrup and simmer until the syrup has thickened slightly.

Printable Recipe

Citrus & Avocado Salad with Green Olives & Arugula...and a short lesson on How to prepare Citrus Filets



 

It has always been my intention to use this blog not only to share good recipes, but also to teach basic cooking methods.  If you have a working knowledge of good technique, any recipe you choose to prepare will be better.  Unfortunately I now find myself at the point where I have been keeping this blog for long enough that I sometimes forget which techniques I have described in detail.  As I was thinking about the salad recipe that I am posting today—a wonderful winter platter of avocados, arugula, olives and citrus—I began to wonder if I had ever taken the time to talk about preparing citrus filets (or, as they are sometimes called, citrus suprèmes).  I was surprised to discover that I had not.  So, before I share the recipe, I'll begin with a description—along with a few pictures—of how to  prepare citrus segments that are perfectly free of membranes, seeds, bitter white pith and peel.  In this state they are ready to add to today's salad....or any other citrus salad you have in mind to prepare. 

To begin, trim the stem and blossom ends of the fruit to expose the flesh.  This is commonly called "topping and tailing" the fruit:

Set the fruit so that it is resting on one of the flat, cut surfaces.  Using a thin, sharp knife, cut away the rind in strips.  As you cut, follow the contour of the fruit with your knife and use the previous cut to guide where you make the next cut so that you remove all of the peel, pith and membrane...but as little of the flesh as possible. Slice from top to bottom and rotate the fruit as you make each cut.  You should end up with a smooth, sphere of citrus that is free of membrane, pith and peel.

Note how at the second pass I use the line where the pith meets the flesh as a guide

My hands and motions stay in the same place as I work.
I rotate the orange...not my hands or my body position.

At this point you may either release the segments of the fruit (the filets or suprèmes referred to above)...or simply slice the fruit cross-wise into round pinwheels (as in my Clementine, Avocado and Pomegranate Salad).  Either style of cut is beautiful in a salad...and salads with both kinds of cuts (as in today's recipe) are especially attractive.

To release the citrus filets, hold the fruit over a bowl (to catch the juices as you work and to receive the filets). Begin by carefully slicing along the right side of the first segment (between the flesh and the membrane), slicing as close to the membrane as possible.  Cut only as deeply as is necessary to release one side of the segment.  

Make a second incision on the left side of the segment. 

This second cut should end where the first cut ended and the filet should easily fall out. 

Rotate the fruit in your hand and repeat this action on each successive segment until all the segments have been released. 

You may find that after releasing the first filet it is unnecessary to make a cut on both sides of the segment. If, as you are completing the cut on the right side of the segment, you rotate your wrist slightly to the right you will find that this will cause the blade to nudge the segment up and away from the core of the fruit.  As you continue to gently rotate and push upward the segment will pull cleanly away from the membrane on the left side and fall neatly into the bowl.  

Either method (two cuts per segment, or one) will work, but you will find that if you can release the filets with only one cut each, you will conserve more of the flesh of the fruit for your salad.

When all of the segments have been released, give the membrane that is left in your hand a good squeeze (as if you were wringing out a cloth or a sponge) so that as much juice as possible will be extracted.  

If you happen to be working with a seedless specimen, your work is done.  If however there are seeds, you will need to fish them out of the bowl and discard them.  

If you aren't going to use the filets right away, store them in a container, submerged in their juice.  They will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

I realize that in my instructions I have assumed you are right handed.  If you are left handed, simply reverse the instructions for releasing the segments (make the cut on the left side of the segment first...if you are using the "one-cut" version of releasing the successive segments, rotate your wrist to the left, etc.).

The citrus salad I'm sharing today was inspired by a recipe in Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  Her salad is a simple and classic combination of citrus and avocado, enhanced by tangy-salty green olives and peppery greens.  It is a delicious salad (perfect for brightening up a dreary winter day) and I have taught it exactly as published in my Winter Salads class for years.  But one day this past week I made a slightly altered version for my lunch.  I liked it so well it is probably the version I will teach in the future.   

The original salad includes watercress and frisée lettuce.  These are lovely in the salad, but the frisée is not reliably available in my area.  Moreover, it can be quite expensive.  Watercress too can be difficult to find (and even when it is available, its quality isn't always so fine).  Fortunately all of the interesting greens and lettuces aren't quite so hard to come by.  Arugula of good quality is widely available.  Because I love it I tend to keep it on hand anyway.  It echoes the peppery contribution of the watercress...as well as the slightly bitter note of the frisée.    

I have also altered the vinaigrette slightly.  Goin includes some of the mixed citrus juices in her vinaigrette.  I have left them out...their addition always made the salad seem slightly soggy to me.  The flavor of the citrus is still front and center without them and the resulting sharper vinaigrette is a perfect foil for the rich avocado and peppery arugula.   

For my version of this salad I like to toss all of the elements separately.  This allows me to arrange them in a purposeful way on the plate.  But it would probably be fine to simply place all the ingredients in a big bowl and toss them together.  When prepared this way, the salad might not be quite so beautiful on the plate....but it will still taste delicious.

With some multi-grain toast...a satisfying winter lunch.

 Citrus & Avocado Salad with Green Olives & Arugula

4 lbs. mixed citrus fruit (oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, tangelos, clementines, etc.)

3 T. finely diced shallot (about 1 medium shallot)

1/2 T. red wine vinegar

1 1/2 T. lemon juice

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 large ripe, but not too soft, avocados (preferably Haas)

1/2 c. pitted green olives—Lucques, Picholines, etc.—halved

2 handfuls arugula (about 2 oz.)

Salt & Pepper

Prepare the citrus fruits:  One by one, cut the stem and blossom ends from the fruit.  Place each fruit cut side down on the cutting board and following the contour of the fruit with your knife, remove the peel and cottony pith—working from top to bottom, and rotating the fruit as you go.  When the fruits are all peeled, hold them one by one over a bowl (to catch the juices), and carefully slice between the membranes and the fruit to release the segments.  When all of the segments have been released, squeeze the membrane to release the juices into the work bowl.  If you're using blood oranges, don't cut them into segments; after removing the peel and pith, slice them into pinwheels and set aside on a small plate.  (They will "bleed" into the other fruit.)  Discard any seeds that you find.  You may store all of the other mixed citrus filets in one bowl or in separate bowls...as you prefer.  If not serving right away, store the citrus filets in their juice.   When ready to serve remove the filets from their juice.  (The juice may be used for another preparation...or enjoyed as a refreshing drink.)  You should have a total of 3 cups drained citrus fruit.   

Fruit for half a recipe...1 tangerine, 1 Cara Cara orange, 1 blood orange,
1 grapefruit and 1 clementine (not pictured)

Prepared citrus, sliced avocado and macerating shallots.

Make the vinaigrette:  Combine the shallot, the vinegar, lemon juice and generous 1/4 t. kosher salt in a small bowl.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Whisk in the olive oil.  Taste and correct the balance and seasoning.

When you are ready to make the salad, halve the avocados and remove the pit and peel.  Cut the avocado into scant half inch wedges, and place on a plate or a tray.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with vinaigrette. 

Season the blood oranges with salt and drizzle with some of the vinaigrette.

Place the drained citrus segments in a large bowl and drizzle in two or three tablespoons of the vinaigrette.  Season with salt and toss gently to combine.  Place the arugula in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle in a very small amount of vinaigrette and toss to coat.    

The salad may be built on individual serving plates or on a large platter.  To build, scatter half of the arugula over the plate(s).  Arrange half of each of the other elements (blood oranges, mixed citrus, avocados and olives) over and among the arugula.  Repeat this layering a second time.  Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette from the bowl of mixed citrus over the salad(s) and serve. 

Serves 4 to 6

 (Adapted from Sunday Suppers and Lucques, by Suzanne Goin)

Printable Version

For an alternative presentation, arrange all of the avocado slices on a plate, season and drizzle with the vinaigrette.  Arrange all of the dressed citrus (in this case just Cara Cara oranges and Ruby Red grapefruit) over the avocado and scatter the olives over the citrus.  Dress the Arugula and place a small fluff in the center of the plate: