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January 05, 2006

Apple Celery Salad with Candied Pecans

Salad - Apples & Celery - Pecans

I was in the mood for a nice, fruity salad a little while back. But I was growing tired of leaves in my salads - arugula, spinach, lettuce. Been there, done that.

I wanted a salad that focused on things other than the green leaves. I wanted it to have a bit more substance and fill to it. And I wanted a crisp bite without the overbearing taste.

Radish never turns down apples in her salad (well, maybe she does, but rarely) but at the same time, I didn't want to recreate a Waldorf - no blue cheese to overtake the fruit. I liked the idea of nuts, but I wanted them to add some sweetness, so they would have to be candied.

The BF was ecstatic to finish a generous bowl saying that it made for a perfect complement to the baked rainbow trout I made. I was just excited to watching him devour the mix, realizing this was a keeper of a recipe.

Apple Celery Salad with Candied Pecans

  • 2 large Granny Smith apples
  • 1 bunch of celery hearts
  • 3/4 cup candied pecans*
  • 1/2 cup dressing*


    Dressing:

  • 3/8 cup orange juice
  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbs dijon mustard
  • a pinch of salt/pepper
  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup


    Candied Pecans:

  • 3/4 cup pecans
  • 3 tbs butter (unsalted)
  • 4 tbs sugar


    Putting It All Together:

  • Mix the salad dressing ingredients and set aside.
  • Melt the butter in a pan along with the sugar and throw the nuts in. Let the nuts roast and become coated by the butter/sugar mixture. Cook until the nuts are browned and well-coated. Set aside on wax paper to cool off.

  • Finely slice the apples and chop the celery.
  • Mix the apples, the celery, nuts and dressing in a bowl.

    Makes 4 generous or 8 side servings.

    • Posted by radish at January 5, 2006 11:46 AM

    Comments

    You forgot to mention how lovely this same salad was for Thanksgiving. I tried to make it at home but I had a bit of trouble roasting the nuts. =)

    Posted by: Sharon at January 5, 2006 09:29 PM

    That is true, I forgot that I made this for Thanksgiving as well! Glad you liked it, will help you with roasting the nuts!

    Posted by: radish at January 5, 2006 09:43 PM

    We still have problems in finding pecans here in Germany all year round, but I totally fell in love with these nuts, so it's worth the effort of tracking them down ;) The combination with apples sounds delicious!

    Posted by: Nicky at January 12, 2006 02:30 AM