If you're in need of a first course, try this salad recipe from Applewood Inn Restaurant & Spa in Guerneville, CA. This Diamond Collection member sits along the Russian Riverand is surrounded by towering redwood trees, fruit orchards, and gardens. The inn has an acclaimed restaurant and is the perfect home base for exploring the nearby wineries.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Salad Ingredients:
- 4 Gravenstine apples, peeled
- 1 cup walnut halves toasted in oven for 8 minutes at 350 degrees
- 7 Belgian endives
- 1 cup blue cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup toasted walnut oil
- 1/2 cup chives chopped
- 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
Steps:
- Cut apples into 1-inch cubes and sprinkle with a little lemon juice. Cut the endives crosswise into 1-inch slices. Keep the cores; they are the best part.
- Toss the endives and apples with half the crumbled blue cheese, walnuts, chives, and another drizzle of walnut oil.
Blue Cheese Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 shallot, finely diced and soaked in 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
- 2 good shots of Tabasco sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup of buttermilk
Steps:
- Put all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk vigorously until they are well combined.
- If too thick, add buttermilk. Seasoning can be adjusted to taste with salt, pepper, lemon juice or Tabasco.