I’ve never stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC, but I know that almost 150-years ago, it was the birthplace of the Waldorf salad. Susan and I enjoy this salad of grapes, walnuts, celery, mayonnaise, and bleu cheese crumbles. The walnuts were not part of the original recipe, according to Wikipedia. Our local Central Market (CM) makes it, and it is both tasty and refreshing.
We spoke last night about having this salad with tonight’s dinner. I had been to the CM yesterday and learned that their salad offerings are seasonal – the Waldorf is offered in the Spring and Summer, and it had just been rotated off the Deli menu. Merde!
We decided that we would make our own Waldorf salad to accompany a grilled boneless ribeye and a baked potato. So be it. We already had mayo, blue cheese crumbles, and walnut pieces in the pantry. At the CM, I found red and green seedless grapes. I forgot to get a Granny Smith apple and celery, but I figured that we could use a crunchy Asian pear we had in the fridge in their place.
There are numerous online recipe variations of the classical Waldorf. Some use pears rather than apple for crunchiness; others use yogurt instead of mayo for creaminess. Still others substitute cauliflower for celery. And others include dried fruits like raisins and dried cranberries to add chewiness to the salad experience. Mine looked like this:
The complete layout was acceptably yummy.
