Chopped Apple & Blue Cheese Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

By Table9 • January 10, 2011 • 4 Comments

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Author Notes: This salad is simple to make, with few ingredients, and tastes delicious. The tartness of the apples is accented well by the crumbled bacon and sharp flavor of the blue cheese. And what better way to top off the salad than with a warm bacon vinaigrette to see us through the cold winter months.*This recipe was inspired by Bobby Flay's chopped apple salad. I used toasted pecans instead of walnuts, developed a warm bacon vinaigrette instead of using his pomegranate dressing and subbed spinach for romaine to give it a more Cobb salad feel. - Table9 - Table9

Food52 Review: Table9's chopped apple salad is culinary perfection. The warm bacon vinaigrette (flavored with shallot, dijon mustard, honey, and brown sugar) is heavenly— I could happily sip it as an aperitif. Toasted pecans, blue cheese crumbles, bacon bits, apple cubes, and chopped romaine combine beautifully, delivering lots of crunchy crispness and lively, contrasting flavors. Honestly, this is one of the best salads I have eaten anywhere. Enjoy it as a main or first course. (I successfully substituted balsamic for the red wine vinegar.) - AppleAnnie

Serves 6

Chopped Apple Salad

6 ounces Blue Cheese crumbles
6 Granny Smith Apples, Cored and Diced
1 Medium Head of Romaine, Chopped
1/2 cup Chopped Pecans, Lightly Toasted in the Oven

Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

10 Slices of Thick-Sliced Bacon, Diced
1 Medium Shallot, Minced
2/3 cups Red Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon Light Brown Sugar
3/4 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/4 teaspoon Honey

Heat large skillet over medium heat and cook diced bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and place on paper towel. Discard all except 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings.
Add shallots to bacon drippings in the skillet and cook for one minute.
While shallots heating, in a small bowl whisk red wine vinegar, light brown sugar, Dijon mustard and maple syrup. Pour and mix together with shallot and bacon drippings in the skillet. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl toss apples, romaine, pecans and blue cheese crumbles, and as much vinaigrette as you prefer. Serve immediately.