Cucumber Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

This recipe for Cucumber Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette comes from my son, Erik.  He served it with a meal he prepared for friends and it was such a hit, he informed me it was "blog worthy"... and so it was!

TIPS

He places cucumbers in bowl lightly salt to pull some of the moisture out of the cucumbers so they absorb the dressing more also they tend to have a less blank flavor.

Slice relatively thin ...  he likes the slightly large shape to make the dish look interesting however he finds it best to try and avoid the slices being too thick because a chunk of onion can be a bit much.

Don't skip the juice from an orange... this step is not only going to give a really nice, fresh flavor... it is also going to preserve the color of the cucumbers and it cuts the fat way down. 

Use leftover Champagne Vinaigrette for green salads... it's delicious! 

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Recipe:  Cucumber Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

All you need:

2 cucumbers

1 large onion
1 tablespoon paprika
dash of salt
1 orange

 Ingredients for the dressing:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

All you need to do:

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, garlic, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified.

Put dressing aside in fridge

Peel cucumbers and slice thin.   Place cucumbers in bowl lightly salt.

Peel and halve the onion and slice relatively thin.  Toss the onions and cucumber together in a large bowl.

Remove dressing from fridge.

Cut orange in and squeeze both halves into separate bowl, remove any seeds that fall into bowl.

Take 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons (depends how much dressing you want on your salad) and place it into a bowl with orange juice.  Stir with a fork until blended.

Now toss dressing with cucumbers and onions.... make sure to thoroughly toss to coat everything.

Optional:  For a slightly stronger citrus flavor and a pop of color grate some orange zest and toss with salad (recommended).

Toss about half tablespoon of paprika into salad.

Serve in individual salad bowls and sprinkle with remaining paprika. (it helps make sure everyone gets just enough paprika and preserves your paprika.