Author Notes: I love combining sweet and savory in salads and that is where the idea for this dish came from. Dried fruits and nuts are a must in most of my salads, I love the texture and crunch they have and the wonderful contrast they give to the freshness of fruits and vegetables. – fortheloveofyum —fortheloveofyum
Food52 Review: Fast-forward to summer. Admittedly, we’re tiptoeing a bit out of season here in the Northeast for this salad, but trust us, it’s worth it. Fortheloveofyum has assembled a cool palette of greens — crisp cucumber, tart Granny Smith, crunchy pistachio, sweet golden raisin, and a sparkly creme fraiche and chive dressing to hold it all together — all while cleverly sidestepping the distraction of the classic salad green: lettuce. Bites of salty bleu sharpen the focus. We say: let the sun shine. – A&M —The Editors
Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients
Chive dressing
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1
small clove garlic
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2
tablespoons Champagne vinegar
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1
teaspoon crème fraîche
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1
tablespoon honey
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1
tablespoon chopped chives
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2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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1
pinch sea salt and black pepper, plus more to taste
Salad
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1
Granny Smith apple, chopped
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1
Hass avocado, chopped
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1
tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
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1/2
English cucumber, chopped
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1/4
cup chopped pistachios
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1/4
cup golden raisins
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1/3
cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese, room temperature
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1
pinch salt and black pepper, plus more to taste
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2
tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Chive dressing
- In a blender, add in the garlic, Champagne vinegar, crème fraîche, honey, chives, salt, and pepper. Blend until combined.
- With the blender still on, through the top, stream in the olive oil. Blend until combined. Taste for salt and pepper. Set aside.
Salad
- Toss the apple and avocado in the lemon juice so they don’t oxidize. Then, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss with the chive dressing. You may not have to use all of the dressing—I don’t like mine too wet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with some chopped chives. This salad can be made up to 3 to 4 hours in advance. If you are making the salad in advance add in the room temperature gorgonzola when you serve the salad.
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Photo by Mark Weinberg
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Cascading down from top left: avocado, creme fraiche, garlic, chives, cucumber, honey, lemon, golden raisins, Granny Smith, gorgonzola, pistachios.
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Prep time in the shadow of the gorgonzola mountain.
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Champagne vinegar is the light, frisky acid in this dressing.
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Liquids, fats: prepare to get emulsified.
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Fortheloveofyum calls for pretty, green-skinned Granny Smith, but any tart, crunchy apple will do.
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Apple salad is hilarious! (that's Jennifer in the background, who probably just told a funny story about last week's Top Chef)
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Lemon juice keeps the avocado and apple from oxidizing (a.k.a. getting dark and ugly).
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A nice ripe avocado and hunk of gorgonzola — what more do you need? Let's all gaze lovingly.
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Thwack! Twist! This is how you (carefully) remove an avocado pit with the blade of your knife.
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Anybody feeling deja vu?
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English cucumber for crunch — no skinning or seeding required.
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Shades of green, indeed.
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Pistachios (toasted, if you please) and golden raisins lend their shades of green to the palette.
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The recipe calls for 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of gorgonzola — ours was on the pungent side, so we went for a (very) heaping 1/4 cup.
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In goes the dressing, straight from the blender.
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Mid-toss.
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Voila!
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