Apple

Apple and Endive Salad with Dates, Pomegranate, Sumac and Honey Walnut Labneh

January 10, 2011
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This salad was inspired by my recent visit to an ancient town in Turkey called Kusadasi! A gorgeous seaside resort on the Aegean Sea located near the historical city of Ephesus. Rich fields of olive trees, grape vines, fig, peach, apricot & apple trees surround this scenic city. Cuisine of Kusadasi is very much influenced by nearby Greek Island of Samos which is only an hour & thirty minutes ferry ride away. Every day we were treated to a lavish breakfast, lunch & dinner with a bounty of fresh fruits, Greek & Turkish yogurts with sweet honey, dried fruits and nuts. This salad is an homage to the enchanting city of Kusadasi, Turkey! Te?ekkür {thank you} :) —onetribegourmet

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Ingredients
  • {Recipe for Homemade Labneh ~ A Yogurt Cheese}~ infused with Honey & Orange Blossom Water and Walnuts
  • 17.5 ounce fage all natural greek yogurt, strained overnight (you can also use any plain full fat yogurt}
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water {you may use 1/2 tsp vanilla instead of orange blossom water}
  • 2 tablespoons toasted walnuts, finely chopped
  • Apple and Endive Salad with Dates, Pomegranates, & Walnuts sprinkled w/ Sumac
  • 3 honey crisp variety of apples, cored, undpeeled,julienned (or any sweet apple of your choice}
  • 4 medjool dates, pitted & sliced
  • 4 tablespoons Pomegranate seeds
  • 2 tablespoons toasted walnuts, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice,reserve some extra if needed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 or less teaspoons sumac, only for sprinkling on top
  • 4-5 smaller size endives, chopped & some leaves for presentation
Directions
  1. {Recipe for Homemade Labneh ~ A Yogurt Cheese}~ infused with Honey & Orange Blossom Water and Walnuts
  2. You will need to strain & refrigerate the Greek yogurt overnight in a cheese cloth rolled up in a ball with a knot and hang it up or place it in a strainer with a bowl underneath. Before placing the yogurt in the fridge try to squeeze as much of the water out as you can.{Please Note} You can certainly skip this step and buy Labneh ready made from a specialty shop! I have seen Labneh at Middle Eastern grocers.
  3. Next day before serving the salad, In a bowl add Labneh, honey, orange blossom water & finely chopped walnuts and mix well until all of the ingredients are infused well. Refrigerate again until you are ready to assemble the salad.
  4. {PLEASE NOTE} You can spread this delicious Labneh on a Bagel {makes a healthy & tasty substitute to cream cheese}, also tasty on crusty bread or crackers! Makes a healthy snack!
  5. Most of the ingredients can be found in a supermarket. Turkish, Middle Eastern or Greek Markets. Also Williams Sonoma carries Sumac.
  1. Apple and Endive Salad with Dates, Pomegranates, & Walnuts sprinkled w/ Sumac
  2. In a bowl add julienned apples and coat them with lemon juice to prevent the apples from oxidizing.
  3. Add the 3 chopped endives, dates, pomegranate seeds, chopped mint, chopped walnuts. Mix the honey, 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice & olive oil in a separate small bowl, whisk well and then add to the salad. Toss the salad well. {at this point you can add some more lemon juice if you feel the salad needs more citrus flavor}
  4. Plate the salad with 2 tablespoons of Labneh spread into a round disk like shape.
  5. place 4 endive leaves over the Labneh
  6. Scoop in some apple salad. you can sprinkle some more walnuts over the salad and to finish the salad sprinkle the sumac at the end.
  7. You can enjoy this salad for breakfast, lunch or even dinner! :)
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Hi I'm Sara and I love the art of food & travel. I have a blog called One Tribe Gourmet, where I share my passion for global cuisine and my travel adventures around the world. I have always felt that food is the most common denominator that crosses all boundaries and brings people together. The ritual of “Breaking Bread” in every culture is a special bonding experience. Personally I love to experience different cultures through there cuisines! My goal here is to encourage an individual who is interested in learning different global cuisine yet is a bit intimidated by it. I am here to help you, all you have to do is open your heart!!!

18 Reviews

lastnightsdinner January 15, 2011
Beautiful! Love these flavors. (and I have been had my eye on a set of plates just like yours!)
onetribegourmet January 15, 2011
Thank you lastnighsdinner ~ I'm an avid collector of plates, platter, bowls...I also love Italian Maijloica ceramics from Dertua, Italy! Basically I'm a nut! :))
SFoodGeek January 13, 2011
Beautiful salad- the ingredients and the plating are stellar. It's just what my mid-winter palate needs!
onetribegourmet January 13, 2011
Thank you so much SFoodGeek! :)
TiggyBee January 12, 2011
This is really lovely!!
onetribegourmet January 12, 2011
Thanks Tiggy Bee! :)
lapadia January 10, 2011
Excellent! Thanks for sharing your recipe, onetribegourmet!
onetribegourmet January 10, 2011
Thank you lapadia!
kulsum K. January 10, 2011
Oh I loved Kusadasi too. Did you have one of those in teracota pot meals? where they break the pot on the table with a hammer ? I was SO intrigued by it :) This looks delicious Sara, I have so many fond memories that I want to recreate as well!
onetribegourmet January 10, 2011
oh wow that sounds so good.. unfortunately no I did not try the terracotta pot meals. I would love to go back again one day! Although I remember having an amazing lunch at a farm house in a tiny scenic town called ?irince. Little old ladies were cooking in the kitchen and they served us lunch in the orchard where peaches, plums & olives trees were keeping us cool on a hot day!
fortheloveofyum January 10, 2011
I love this salad! Totally amazing and beautiful. This needs to win :)
onetribegourmet January 10, 2011
Thank you sweet Nadia! xo :)
Justforlicks January 10, 2011
That is a beautiful salad. The sweetness of the dates and tart of pomegranate seeds would be delicious. Really great salad!
onetribegourmet January 10, 2011
Thanks Sue! I just saw your salad too, it looks fab! :)
TasteFood January 10, 2011
Lovely salad with all the right notes. Nice recipe!
onetribegourmet January 10, 2011
Thanks TasteFood! :)
hardlikearmour January 10, 2011
yum. i love the labne with the orange blossom. beautiful presentation as well.
onetribegourmet January 10, 2011
Thank you! I love Labne too! :)