Monday, December 1, 2008
This year we spent Thanksgiving with my dad and stepmom and each 'kid' was to bring a dish. I knew my youngest sister was bringing my mom's mashed potatoes (with cheese, chives, and bacon, sooo good!), my middle sister was making mushroom and goat cheese appetizers wrapped in puff pastry, and step sister brought green bean casserole. And I wanted something different that hadn't made an appearance on our table before.
I have had this recipe for a few months now and when a resident in the building I work in brought me a box of apples (he owns his own orchard) I knew just what to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. I would make the baked apple salad created by Chef Massimo Gaffo, one of my chefs from school. He is famous for this recipe and he claims he created it on a drunken night when he first moved to this country from Italy. However he came up with it I am sure glad he did. It really is to die for and perfect for this time of year.
This is a recipe that will wow your guests and you can sit back and laugh because you know how simple it was to put together. I baked the apples the night before and put them covered in the fridge and set aside the wine. The next morning I made the dressing and assembled the salad.
My only alteration was to cut the amount of wine and salad because I felt there too much for just six apples.
6 Red Delicious apples
10 oz red cooking wine ½ cinnamon stick
½ cup sugar
6 oz baby green salad mix
6 oz blue cheese
12 cherry tomatoes
6 oz walnuts
5 oz extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash apples, cut the bottoms of the apples to make them level and remove the cores. Place the apples in a baking pan and add the red wine and cinnamon stick. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar. Bake 35- 50 minutes or until the apples are cooked but still firm; the skin should be tight and not wrinkled. The apples will spring back slightly when touched.
Remove the apples and put the red wine in a sauce pan. Reduce the wine over medium-high heat until thick, about 2 cups.
Wash and clean mixed greens. Cut the blue cheese into small pieces and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Whisk the olive oil into the red wine reduction and season to taste.
Combine the greens, walnuts, blue cheese, tomatoes and dressing. Slice the baked apples into thirds horizontally and layer the salad between the apple slices. Garnish as desired.
2 comments:
What a fabulous way to serve a salad! For me, my salad trinity is to include a fruit, nut and cheese. I love how the apple is the focus on the salad. Thanks for sharing!
That looks delicious!!!! Depending on what the main dish is, this looks perfect for the tailgate this weekend.
For those that don't like blu cheese (I know that we have quite a few at the tailgate this weekend), do you have another cheese suggestion?
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