Recipe Friday!

                                                       

Haute Cuisine

My mom is a wonderful cook. Using basic recipes that she can dress up to suit the tastes and situation of those people for whom she cooks, her talents are a delicate balance of taste and nutrition. When we were children the following recipe was her quintessential 'Welcome Autumn' treat. As kids we loved this recipe and today my family enjoys it as well.

Mom's version of Waldorf Salad

1-2 bunches of seedless grapes washed and cut in half (we like a combination of red and green grapes)

3-4 apples diced into bite size pieces (again a combination of different apple varieties is nice)

1/4 cup of toasted walnuts (certainly this can be omitted or more can be added according to your taste)

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

2-4 tablespoons of homemade mayo

1 tablespoon of honey ( of course we prefer Tracey Hansen's honey from her Milk and Honey Farm)

Combine the apples, grapes, walnuts and lemon juice in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayo and honey. Drizzle the mayo mixture over the apple mixture. Chill for at least an hour to let the flavors blend. This salad is best eaten the same day.

Traditionally waldorf salad contains diced celery but that would never do for my family. I have also seen it served with dried fruit and diced cooked chicken too.

Waldorf salad was created in 1893 by the chefs of the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. For its day and its beginnings it was considered very fashionable cuisine to be sure. However today we think that it is just the right combination of Autumn flavors making a delicious seasonal treat.