Richard Nixon Grapefruit Avocado Salad

Richard Nixon’s parents were devout Quakers who taught their four sons patience, courage, and determination, traits that Nixon drew strength from during trying times in his life. He later recalled that he "gained his first taste for politics during debates around the family dinner table" and described friendly pillow fights with his three brothers in the small upstairs bedroom they shared.

In an essay titled, "The House His Father Built" published on the Richard Nixon Birthplace and Library website, Nixon describes fond memories of his childhood growing up on a small citrus farm in Yorba Linda, California:

After doing the dinner dishes, a chore that we boys all had to share, I would often read in front of the fireplace until bedtime. I have always enjoyed reading. My mother taught me at the age of six. I would read my schoolbooks of course, and my Quaker grandmother, Almira Milhous, always made sure to give me a book for Christmas and on my birthdays. But early on, I also took a great interest in newspapers and magazines. My favorite magazine was National Geographic. And I would spend hours seeing the world from our living room and daydreaming about visiting places faraway...

The back rooms were my mother’s domain. You can see the room where she sewed for the family, and the pantry where she stored canned peaches, pears, string beans, peas, and corn – all of which came from our garden. But the most special room was the kitchen. My mother was an excellent baker. Her specialty was angel food cake. She insisted that it was at its best only when she beat fresh outdoor air into the batter before putting it in the oven. I can see her now, standing outside the kitchen door in the chilly predawn air, beating the batter with a big wooden spoon.

Nixon also recalled that his "most unpleasant memory of those days was the time we had to drink goat’s milk because my mother had read in some magazine that it was supposed to be good for us. My brothers and I hated it," he continued, and "we used to pray something would happen to our goat. Our prayers were answered. One day, when my father was milking it, the goat kicked over the pail. That did it. He gave the goat to a neighbor and we never had to drink goat’s milk again."

Although Nixon didn't mention if his father grew any grapefruit on his citrus farm, Grapefruit Avocado Salad did appear as a menu item at President Nixon's Second Inaugural Luncheon on January 20, 1973. If you'd like to whip up a tangy and refreshingly colorful Grapefruit Avocado Salad tonight, here's a recipe from the Food Network's Ina Garten that's a snap to prepare and pairs well with roasted meats, seafood and poultry.

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
4 ripe Hass avocados
2 large red grapefruits

Place the mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Before serving, cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the seeds, and carefully peel off the skin.

Cut each half into 4 thick slices. Toss the avocado slices in the vinaigrette to prevent them from turning brown. Use a large, sharp knife to slice the peel off the grapefruits (be sure to remove all the white pith), then cut between the membranes to release the grapefruit segments.

Arrange the avocado slices around the edge of a large platter. Arrange the grapefruit segments in the center. Spoon the vinaigrette on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.