Waldorf Salad with Apples, Grapes and Toasted Walnuts

Ingredients

For the recipe

• 350 g crisp apples, weighed after coring, skins left on; approximately 2 large apples
• 180 g seedless red or green grapes, removed from their stems and halved
• 120 g celery stalks, trimmed and sliced crosswise into 3-4 mm pieces
• 60 g walnut halves or pieces, divided
• 80 g regular mayonnaise made with pasteurized egg
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (30 ml), divided
• 80 g butter lettuce or other tender salad leaves, trimmed weight
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt (approximately 0.75 g)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (approximately 0.25 g)

Instructions

1. Place the walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat. Toast for 4-5 minutes, stirring and shaking the pan frequently, until fragrant and slightly darker at the edges. Do not walk away; walnut pieces can scorch quickly. Transfer immediately to a plate and cool completely.
2. Wash the apples, grapes, celery and lettuce under cool running water unless the lettuce is labeled ready-to-eat or prewashed. Dry the fruit and celery well. Spin the lettuce dry and keep it chilled while preparing the salad.
3. Core the apples without peeling them, then cut into 1-1.5 cm pieces. Weigh out 350 g of prepared apple. Place in a large mixing bowl and immediately toss with 1 tablespoon of the measured lemon juice so the cut surfaces are lightly coated.
4. Halve the grapes and remove any seeds that are present despite the variety being sold as seedless. Slice the celery across the stalks; for very wide stalks, split lengthwise first so the pieces are easy to eat. Add the grapes and celery to the apples.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, salt and black pepper. The dressing should be creamy and spoonable, not watery. Taste it with a piece of apple to judge the sweet-savory balance.
6. Chop the cooled walnuts into bite-size pieces. Add 45 g of the walnuts to the fruit and celery, keeping the remaining 15 g aside for topping.
7. Spoon the dressing over the mixture and fold gently with a broad spoon until the fruit, celery and walnuts are evenly coated. Scrape the dressing from the bottom of the bowl rather than adding more mayonnaise unnecessarily.
8. Divide the cold, dry lettuce between four plates. Spoon the salad over the leaves and scatter the reserved walnuts on top. Serve straight away for the crispest texture, or cover and refrigerate the fruit mixture for up to 30 minutes before plating.