Tuesday 12 October 2010

New Age Waldorf Salad

You're the top!
You're a Waldorf salad.
You're the top!
You're a Berlin ballad.
You're the boats that glide
On the sleepy Zuider Zee,
You're an old Dutch master.


The Waldorf salad was first created between 1893 and 1896 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. The original recipe did not contain nuts, but they had been added by 1928. The salad became popular enough that  featured it in the Cole Porter song "You're the Top".

 There now seems to be more variations to the Waldorf Salad than Microsoft Windows, adding everything from chicken or turkey to dates and raisins. Not to depart from the tradition of blogging, of taking something simple and changing it into something complicated, I reinvented the wheel, with something surprisingly easy and beautiful.

 
Instead of apple, I used an Asian Pear, which has the shape of an apple, skin the colour of a potato and tastes like somewhere between an apple and a pear, with a high water content. It is  not suitable for baking because of the high water content and is best enjoyed fresh.

New Age Waldorf Salad
Serves 2

Dressing
30ml Mayonnaise (Home made is best, click here for a great recipe)
10ml Lemon Juice

Combine the mayonnaise and the lemon juice.

 Salad

1 Asian Pear cored and thinly sliced.
¼ cup Hazelnuts (dry roasted until skins loosen and go golden brown)
1 Cup of finely shredded Celery (I used the inside fronds only, because they are sweeter)

Place the celery in the mayonnaise and mix together.
Arrange the slice Asian Pear on the plate.
Place the celery mayonnaise in the middle.
Scatter with the toasted hazelnuts.
Serve immediately, before the pears turn brow.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

looks wonderful :)

Marisa said...

Lovely foodstyling! I'm not a big fan of celery so I'd leave that out and just enjoy the rest of this lovely salad.

browniegirl said...

So simple, stylish and beautiful. Well done! xx

Gattina Cheung said...

I haven't had asian pears for ages (they weren't even available at store when I visited HK during the summer)... you're so right, this fruit is super juicy and so refreshing, a superb choice for this salad!

Nicola said...

So pretty! I bet it tastes great too, nice and crunchy.

Elle said...

Great interpretation of the Waldorf salad...and one my hubby would love since he is addicted to Asian pears. Never thought of using them insread of apple but it is a brilliant idea.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful presentation Rosemary.
(It's me, Cin, wouldn't let me comment using my URL)

dining tables said...

This looks wonderful and so refreshing. I just like it. Love the presentation, too.

Helen said...

Beautiful! I've seen asian pears in the shops, but haven't tried them yet.

Jeremiah 17: 7-8

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water."

It is not your business to succeed, but to do what is right : when you have done so, the rest lies with God.
C.S. Lewis

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