Deconstructed Waldorf Salad with Blue Cheese Dip
“…dressing on the side”. Historically the vernacular of the calorie-conscious, is now a food trend! And a delicious one at that. Thanks again to Food & Wine (December 2010).
I had a bunch of kids over for a pizza party last Friday evening. A couple of the brave mommies stayed with me (instead of doing “a drop off”) and we enjoyed some wine and this very nibbly appetizer while supervising. I kept the toasted walnuts on the side as a dipping item, rather than blending them into the dip, as in the original recipe. The complementary flavors of the sweet fruits, bitter greens, rich nuts and creamy blue cheese dressing are tantalizing – which was probably to blame for us dipping pizza crust into the dip by the end of the affair.
Deconstructed Waldorf Salad with Blue Cheese Dip
makes approximately 2 cups of dressing
makes approximately 2 cups of dressing
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
6 oz. blue cheese (seek out Point Reyes Original Blue), crumbled
(somewhere around 1 1/2 cups, more or less depending on your taste)
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper
Waldorf crudités:
- apple slices tossed in lemon juice to prevent discoloration
- toasted walnuts (350 degree oven for 10 minutes)
- grapes
- endive leaves
- treviso leaves (actually “radicchio rosso di treviso” – the redish-purple radicchio w/the longer leaves, as opposed to the rounder one, “radicchio rosso di chiogga”, if you’re curious…)
1. In a food processor, blend the mayonnaise, buttermilk, shallots and vinegar until smooth. Add the crumbled blue cheese and pulse just a bit so you keep some of the chunks of cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the Waldorf crudités.
Amy’s Kitchen Coach Tips
- The magic of this dip/dressing is in the blue cheese. Do not use anything you wouldn’t enjoy eating (…like those pre-packaged little containers of “blue cheese crumbles”, ahem).
- This dressing can be kept in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. Try it on a salad with some grilled chicken.
