Arugula Salad with Pomegranate Persimmons and POM Vinaigrette

An arugula salad topped with juicy and crunch pomegranate seeds (arils ) and sliced persimmons.  The colors in this salad make it a colorful and beautiful addition to your dining table.

Ingredients:

Hazelnuts:
2/3 cup blanched hazelnuts
4 teaspoons hazelnut oil
Salad:

1/3 cup arils from 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate
2 small Fuyu persimmons, thinly sliced
1/2 each lemon, for juicing
1/2 pound arugula
1 each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Vinaigrette:

1 each from 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate,* or 3 tablespoons POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot, plus 2 small, thinly sliced shallots
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil



Instructions:

1. Step 1
   Hazelnuts
   Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they smell nutty and are lightly browned. Remove from heat. When the nuts have cooled, coarse-chop them and toss them with 1 teaspoon hazelnut oil and a generous pinch of salt
2. Step 2
   Vinaigrette
   Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.* Place the diced shallot, pomegranate juice, both vinegars and teaspoon salt in a bowl, and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and the remaining hazelnut oil. Taste for balance and seasoning.
3. Step 3
   Salad
   Score 1 fresh pomegranate and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.) In a large salad bowl, toss the persimmons, sliced shallots and fresh pomegranate arils with the dressing. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Gently toss in the arugula and taste for seasoning. Arrange the salad on a platter, and scatter the hazelnuts over the top..

* For 1/2 cup of juice, cut 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate in half and juice it with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.