September brings a new crispness to the air. I can feel fall sneaking in little by little. Those sunny days are growing just a bit shorter and the cool evenings have me looking for my sweater. Although I’m sad to say goodbye to summer, fall certainly has its beauty and charms.
One of my favorite midwestern traditions is apple picking. Each September our family loves to spend a day together at a local orchard. The joy of it all sort of gets me in the mood for fall. Our excitement to try all the different types of apples always leads us to come home with more than we can possibly eat, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying.
My Waldorf salad is a simple side that I love to serve with fried chicken sandwiches or burgers but it would be good with lots of other meals too. It’s lighter than the traditional Waldorf Astoria hotel recipe because it has a champagne vinegar salad dressing instead of a mayonnaise based dressing. This salad dressing provides a nice balance to the sweet apples, grapes and nuts. My Waldorf salad is a wonderful way to enjoy all those delicious fall apples.
Apple Waldorf Salad- Serves 4 to 6
- 1/2 cup walnut or pecan pieces
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 Honey Crisp Apples or your favorite
- 3 celery stalk with leaves
- 1½ cups red seedless grapes
First make the candied nuts. In a small skillet place the sugar and the nuts over medium heat. Keep a close eye on it and stir with a rubber spatula as the sugar melts and coats the nuts. Remove the nuts from the pan immediately and place them on sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper to allow the nuts to cool.
Next, core and chop the apples into bitesized pieces. Slice the celery on the diagonal into bite sized slices taking care to keep the leaves too. Slice grapes in half. Place the apples, celery, grapes and nuts into a medium sized bowl. Finally, toss or gently mix in the salad dressing. See recipe below.
Champagne Vinaigrette
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
In a small mixing bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, sugar and salt. Then slowly drizzle in the oil while continuing to whisk it until the salad dressing emulsifies and comes together.
Apple Waldorf salad is a sweet and delicious way to enjoy this season’s best!
