Author Notes
I love combining sweet and savory in salads and that is where the idea for this dish came from. Dried fruits and nuts are a must in most of my salads, I love the texture and crunch they have and the wonderful contrast they give to the freshness of fruits and vegetables. - fortheloveofyum —fortheloveofyum
Test Kitchen Notes
Fast-forward to summer. Admittedly, we're tiptoeing a bit out of season here in the Northeast for this salad, but trust us, it's worth it. Fortheloveofyum has assembled a cool palette of greens -- crisp cucumber, tart Granny Smith, crunchy pistachio, sweet golden raisin, and a sparkly creme fraiche and chive dressing to hold it all together -- all while cleverly sidestepping the distraction of the classic salad green: lettuce. Bites of salty bleu sharpen the focus. We say: let the sun shine. - A&M —The Editors
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
- Chive dressing
-
1
small clove garlic
-
2 tablespoons
Champagne vinegar
-
1 teaspoon
crème fraîche
-
1 tablespoon
honey
-
1 tablespoon
chopped chives
-
2 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
-
1 pinch
sea salt and black pepper, plus more to taste
- Salad
-
1
Granny Smith apple, chopped
-
1
Hass avocado, chopped
-
1 tablespoon
freshly squeezed lemon juice
-
1/2
English cucumber, chopped
-
1/4 cup
chopped pistachios
-
1/4 cup
golden raisins
-
1/3 cup
crumbled gorgonzola cheese, room temperature
-
1 pinch
salt and black pepper, plus more to taste
-
2 tablespoons
chopped chives, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Chive dressing
-
In a blender, add in the garlic, Champagne vinegar, crème fraîche, honey, chives, salt, and pepper. Blend until combined.
-
With the blender still on, through the top, stream in the olive oil. Blend until combined. Taste for salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Salad
-
Toss the apple and avocado in the lemon juice so they don't oxidize. Then, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss with the chive dressing. You may not have to use all of the dressing—I don't like mine too wet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with some chopped chives. This salad can be made up to 3 to 4 hours in advance. If you are making the salad in advance add in the room temperature gorgonzola when you serve the salad.
See what other Food52ers are saying.