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Welcome Fall With This Sweet & Savory Honey-Apple-Endive Salad

Author:

Jake Cohen

October 16, 2024

Food Writer & Recipe Developer

By Jake Cohen

Food Writer & Recipe Developer

Jake Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of Jew-ish. His recipes have been featured on Rachael Ray, The Drew Barrymore Show, Live with Kelly and Ryan, Good Morning America, and the Food Network and in the New York Times, Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, and Forbes, among others.

Holiday Apple Endive Salad With Candied Walnuts & Bleu Cheese

Image by Matt Taylor-Gross

October 16, 2024

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Jews love some edible symbolism! This recipe is not only the perfect fall and winter salad, but it can and should sneak onto your Passover and Rosh Hashana menus.

A bed of chicories is topped with a sweet apple and honey dressing, candied walnuts, and blue cheese for a combo of tang, sweetness, funk, and bitterness that always has me coming back for seconds.

I Could Nosh

Obviously, the dressing plays into bringing a sweet New Year, but the holiday references do not stop there! The walnuts are candied in date syrup, which is a play on the typical Iraqi charoset served at Passover. Oh, and endive and radicchio 100% could count as chazeret (the second bitter herb on the Seder plate). What is Jewish food if not a jumping-off point for thoughtful and introspective conversation about our past, present, and future?

And if symbolism wasn't enough, this salad is a favorite of mine because it's so easy to prep in advance! Go ahead and candy your nuts whenever. Then, any time the day you're serving, lay out all the endive, radicchio, and parsley on a platter and cover with damp paper towels and plastic to hold in the fridge.

Even the dressing can be made hours ahead, and that includes the apples, which can be added to prevent them from turning brown. And since this book is about noshing, this recipe pivots seamlessly into a finger food when you're in need of hors d'oeuvres. Just assemble the components in individual leaves of endive.

High Holiday Apple & Endive Salad

Serves: 6 to 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

For the Candied Walnuts

½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon date syrup (silan) or honey
2 teaspoons olive oil
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 Honeycrisp apples, cored and cut into ¼-inch pieces
12 ounces (3 medium heads) endive, ends trimmed and leaves separated
1 small head radicchio, halved and thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

Make the candied walnuts: In a small saucepan, combine the walnuts, date syrup, olive oil, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and a heavy pinch each of salt and pepper over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the date syrup caramelizes and glazes the walnuts, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
Assemble the salad: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, mustard, garlic, and 2 heavy pinches each of salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until incorporated. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the chopped apples and toss to coat.
On a large platter, toss the endive leaves, radicchio, and parsley to mix and arrange in an even layer. Spoon the apple mixture over the salad and top with the crumbled blue cheese and candied walnuts, then serve.