Waldorf Salad with Grapes, Cran­berries and Blue Cheese

SERVES:

4

INGREDIENTS:

approx. 3/4 cup walnut halves and pieces

2 tsp vegetable oil for toasting walnuts

salt to taste

rough chopped Romaine lettuce for 4 servings (approx. 8 cups)

approx. 2 cups thinly sliced celery, cut on a slight bias

2 cups seedless grapes, sliced in half

1 large or 2 small apples, cored and sliced

approx. 1/3 cup mayonnaise

black pepper to taste

1/3 cup dried cranberries

crumbled blue cheese as needed

PROCEDURE:

Add a good handful of walnut halves and pieces to a heavy bottomed pan with a tsp or two of vegetable oil and toast those for a minute or two, season them with salt and take them out of the pan to cool.

Add as much chopped Romaine lettuce as you like to a large mixing bowl and slice a good handful of seedless red grapes in half and also slice as much celery as you like, thinly crosswise, on a bias.

At that point, add the celery to the bowl with the chopped Romaine lettuce and core and thinly slice one large or two small red skinned apples and then add the apples to the bowl with the celery and Romaine.

Add a small dollop of mayonnaise and a crack of black pepper and gently mix to combine, adding a little more mayonnaise if you think it needs it.

Add the sliced grapes and add a little handful of crumbled blue cheese and a little handful of dried cranberries. Add the toasted walnuts to the bowl and gently toss everything to combine.

HINTS:

This salad is best served immediately after tossing. Substitute raisins for the cranberries. Use red or green seedless grapes.