‘Tis the season to know how to whip up a good hors d’oeuvre. This salad can be served in endive spears for a stand-up-and-mingle kind of party, or on a bed of sliced radicchio and endive for a sit down affair. Adapted from a Gourmet magazine recipe, 1991 if my notes serve.
Smoked Turkey Blue Cheese Salad
makes about a pint, enough to make 4 dozen endive spears for a party; adapted from Gourmet 1991
Ingredients
- 8 ounces smoked turkey cut into ¼-inch dice
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- 6 stems watercress, leaves and tender stems chopped
- 2 tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped
Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar J. Leblanc or O
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- ¼ cup walnut oil J. Leblanc
- 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled about 3/4 cup
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For appetizers:
- 4 Belgian endive
For salad:
- radicchio, watercress, red leaf lettuce, sliced endive
Instructions
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Combine the diced turkey, pomegranate seeds, and chopped watercress in a medium sized bowl.
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Place oil, vinegar, and minced shallot in a small, heavy saucepan and heat gently over moderate heat until surface begins to shimmer then remove from heat. Stir in blue cheese and pour over turkey salad. Stir to combine and add the walnuts. Add a pinch of salt and several grinds of fresh black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
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After chilling, spoon small amounts into endive spears or top a salad.
Recipe Notes / Tips
- Buy smoked turkey at the deli counter, have them slice a couple ¼-inch thick slabs that you can dice at home.
- Pomegranate seeds. Do it once and keep the seeds in a jar in the refrigerator for salad garnishes all week.
- Gorgonzola is really good in this salad, but Point Reyes Blue is too.
