Apple Walnut Salad

An Apple Walnut Salad is the signature salad for an Autumn day. Fall is the perfect time to go apple picking, especially in western New York where the chef resides. Cortland, Empire, Macintosh, Granny Smith, among plenty of others grow and some are ready to be picked starting early in September. Whether you live in a place where apples grow in abundance or not, apples are easy to find in any grocery store year round. Outside of apple season, to preserve the apples they coat them in wax so be sure to wash them very well before eating. The wax is not harmful, it’s often beeswax or carnauba wax or a mixture of waxes and they have beneficial properties. Washing them is more important due to how they were handled or stored before they reached your hands. 

This Apple Walnut Salad features whichever apple is your favorite and whichever you choose, it’s nearly impossible to have this salad not turn out amazing.

Start by prepping all of your ingredients. Toast all of your walnuts at 350 degrees for about ten minutes until they deepen in color and flavor. In that same heat you can cook your bacon strips on a sheet pan until it is very crispy. Applewood pork bacon is a solid choice but using turkey bacon, beef bacon, or even duck bacon is going to taste great. It is the fatty and smoky taste that adds to the dish, so find a bacon that is fatty and smoky. 

Chop the dried black mission figs, and cooked bacon, and set them aside. Wait until the last second to slice the apples so that they don’t brown. 

Make your balsamic vinaigrette. In restaurants you need to add all of the ingredients but the oil. You emulsify the oil and the other ingredients into one mixture that doesn’t separate by slowing drizzling in the oil while blending with an immersion blender or a normal blender. When making it at home you will not need to keep it from separating for days, you just need to have it mixed for a few seconds before you coat the greens. Add the ingredients into a jar and shake vigorously for a few seconds. A lot of people have bullet blenders now, these are perfect for vinaigrettes; especially this one since it has fresh rosemary in it that can be gritty tasting if not chopped fine enough.

To assemble this salad, start by tossing the mixed greens gently in balsamic vinaigrette. Just use enough to coat the greens, don’t use all of it, it will be way too much dressing. Next, add the sliced apples to the top of the dressed greens. Over the apples add your goat cheese, toasted walnuts, chopped bacon, and black mission figs in no particular order. Finally, drizzle the toppings with a little bit more of the balsamic vinaigrette. 

The longer a vinegar based dressing is mixed with greens the more the greens will start to wither and breakdown so it is best to serve as soon possible after dressing the salad. 

This Apple Walnut Salad is spectacular with grilled chicken, salmon, and/or shrimp if you are looking to make this salad a main course.

Salads can be delicious and this one is proof. Enjoy it anytime of year but if you do have access to fresh apples in the Fall, this salad will be something you look forward to all year long.