Friday, April 26, 2013

W = Williams and Waldorf Salad

a-to-z-letters-w

W is for would you believe I forgot it. I suddenly realised I had blogs for the next few days, to the end of April, but W was missing. Horrors.

red squirrelOne of the first things that came to mind was Prince William of England and then I thought of William the Conqueror who was our first William of England. He defeated the British army led by King Harold and Harold himself was killed at the Battle of Hastings which took place in 1066 as every child in England knows. Of course it took a long time for the Normans (William’s bunch) and the Anglo Saxons to assimilate and integrate, through several generations. One of William I’s sons was called William too, he was William II and was known as William Rufus he was apparently shot whilst hunting in the forest by a bloke called Walter Tirel who Cambridges(according to legend), swore he thought he was shooting at a squirrel; not according to Wikipedia though. In those days all squirrels were red. The grey squirrel had not yet invaded England. Later on we had a William of Orange who was married to a British Queen, Mary, and they ruled conjointly although William of Orange was actually Dutch and had invaded England. Today we have Prince William who will be William IV when he ascends to the throne.

This was a salad I used to see all over the place when we first came to Canada. It was always one I enjoyed. According to Google the first Waldorf Salad was created in New York City in 1893, by Oscar Tschirky, the maître d’hôtel of the Waldorf Astoria. I haven’t seen it served anywhere for quite a while, pity, it’s good. Guess the answer to that is I need to make it myself.

Waldorf Salad

From Food Network KitchensWaldorf Salad
Serves:
6 servings

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup walnuts halves
  • 3 large apples with a crisp texture, preferably 1 red, 1 green, and 1 yellow
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 stalks celery (with leaves), peeled and sliced on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
  • 1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce, trimmed, washed, and dried

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and break the nuts up into small pieces. Half, core, and cut the apples into 3/4-inch pieces, leaving the skin intact. In a medium bowl, mix the apples with the lemon juice, celery, and walnuts.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chives, sour cream, parsley, sugar, and lemon zest and season with pepper. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the apple mixture and stir to coat. Refrigerate if not using immediately. When ready to serve, arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter, or divide them among 6 salad plates. Place the salad on the lettuce and serve.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

28 comments:

  1. Super red squirrel picture, Jo. Unfortunately we only see the grey and I am not a fan of them, They bury walnuts in our lawn even although there is no walnut tree in the vicinity.
    I wonder how long it will be before William IV is on the throne.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. We get mostly grey or black squirrels here. The blacks are supposed to be an offshoot of the grey, but they are numerous and seem quite different.

      A long time I think, QEII has to go first, then Charles who, although not young, will last a few years yet.

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  2. I loved red squirrels. Hope they can make a comeback. As for Prince William, his mother would have been proud of him. But I hate Waldorf salad. Too many nuts.

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    1. Its a shame there aren't too many red squirrels around any more.

      I imagine the whole family is proud of William.

      I love nuts.

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  3. When I saw the photo I thought you were going to 'cheat' and talk about wed squirrels!

    Never had a Waldorf salad so that's one to go on the list when Summer returns to the UK (raining again today in Kent)

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    1. Wed squirrels indeed.

      Its a good salad. At least you only have rain, we are still getting snow flurries.

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  4. Replies
    1. I guess you have a vegan version of mayonnaise, but otherwise it would be very suitable.

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  5. My mother used to make Waldorf salads (although not quite the recipe mentioned above) during the summer. It's not a salad that is seen all that much these days but it is a salad that is good for you.

    Interesting bit on Williams. I had to laugh when I saw the picture of the red squirrel. It's also said that Rufus' brother had a hand in his demise. :-)

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    1. I've never made it, but I think I might this summer (if it ever comes). You're right, one doesn't see it much these days.

      From something I saw on PBS recently, he wasn't a very nice man anyway so I wouldn't be surprised, in fact none of William's immediate descendents seem to have been very nice people.

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  6. Give me Waldorf salad any day and I'll do your bidding!!

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    Replies
    1. How to Train Your Dragon eh? Great, I'll make the salad, you fly me wherever I want.

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  7. Waldorf salad always makes me think of Fawlty Towers :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does, I never watched that enough to know why.

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  8. So that's a Waldorf salad? I always thought it had to do with the Muppets and the two old guys who heckled them on the show.

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    1. You surprise me, I thought it was a totally American salad.

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  9. I love Waldorf Salad, but it never tastes right when I make it.
    - Maurice Mitchell
    The Geek Twins | Film Sketchr

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not having made it myself I don't know, but I will do this year.

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  10. That is one of my favourite salads! I could have it every day I think.

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    Replies
    1. Think you'd get a tad tired of it eventually.

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  11. I haven't had a Waldorf Salad in ages, and that one looks delicious. Thanks for the reminder.

    The missing W made me smile. I've had to stop and think this month, too. Skipping Sundays threw me off once or twice.

    Barbara
    Honoring W Blogs in this A to Z
    The Daille-y News

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nor me, its funny how some foods become less popular.

      W was the only one I did miss though, phew!!!

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  12. The Waldorf salad is quite popular her in the southern states of the US. as is the squirrel. It vexes me but I have it on good authority that grey squirrel is quite tasty as well. yuck to the squirrel!

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    1. I know people in the south who eat squirrel, but as far as I am aware, no-one has eaten red squirrel, or at least not in recent times because they are so few and far between having been decimated by the introduction of the grey squirrel.

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  13. I see waldorf salad at salad bars and the like, but I've never made it, myself. I should try it!

    My grandpa has eaten squirrels. And rattlesnake. And skunk. And anything they could find, back in the dustbowl.

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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    Replies
    1. I guess its the old story, if you are hungry enough, you will eat anything.

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  14. Hi Jo .. William IV - he will be won't he sometime. Waldorf salad we see around I sometimes make a variation ... delicious ..

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. I don't ever remember Waldorf salad in the UK, only when we emigrated in '75 did I come across it.

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