Serves 6

3 hearts of butter lettuce
3 fuyu persimmons, peeled and sliced
1 Tbs. shallot, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ cup fresh mandarin juice
½ cup best cold pressed olive oil
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Zest of one mandarin

Process
1. Make your dressing first: Whisk together ½ Tbs. shallot with the mustard and mandarin juice. Slowly drizzle the olive oil to emulsify. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Reserve.

2. Rinse and pat dry the butter lettuce hearts. Toss in dressing. Mound on plates, topped with persimmon slices. Serve.

Cheese course (with hoshi gaki)
Hoshi gaki is an ancient Japanese food art that traveled to California with Japanese American immigrants. Think of it as Kobe persimmons. Whole hachiya persimmons are peeled, hung to dry, and massaged over the course of several weeks until they become deiciously sweet and tender, with a complex flavor reminiscent of gingerbread. I find that they pair beautifully with cheese.

A symbol of long life and prosperity in the New Year, they are traditionally gifted at Holiday time.