WALDORF... The Salad Experience

I remember during the early days of Robinson's Galleria in Ortigas (circa 1990), a Salad and Fresh Juice Bar was erected in the middle of the food court. This was the time when we can have a sip of chilled mixed fruit and vegetable juices in the food court of a mall. Not to forget the array and variety of salads they serve. You can choose a salad duet or trio or have one kind just for yourself.

In this bar was the first time I encountered the Waldorf Salad. It was simple but tasty. It has Apples, Walnuts, Celery and just Mayonnaise. It was something new for us to try specially my mom. The other salads served are just the common varieties of Potato, Fruit or Macaroni.

Here started my Mom's curiosity on how this salad was made. So we did experiment and came up with several improvements of the recipe. At first we though the salad was given its name due to it having Walnuts as part of its ingredient. So came the "Wal" in the word Wal-dorf. How about the "Dorf"? Did some researches and hilariously I found out we were wrong...

The Waldorf Salad, originated in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Park Avenue in New York. This was created between 1893 and 1896 - same year when the Peach Melba was created in The Savoy Hotel in London. Oscar Tschirky, the Maitre d'Hotel during that time, got some apples, cucumber slices, walnuts and mayonnaise and created the infamous New York Salad. 

As the years passed by, many versions of this American Classic came about. Some added Chicken and Turkey Meat. Others placed in Grapes and used other varieties of apples. But the secret is still in the dressing. 

I took some risks and tried to improve this centuries-old salad. Below is my version of the said classic:

INGREDIENTS:

¾ C Mayonnaise
¼ C All-Purpose Cream
2 T Honey
1 T Grated Parmesan Cheese
¼ t Salt
¼ t Ground Pepper
¼ t Ground Nutmeg
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of Half a Lemon
1 C Fuji Apples, cored and diced
1 C Granny Smith Apples, cored and diced
1 C Chicken Breast Fillet, boiled and diced
1 C Seedless Grapes, washed and cut into halves
½ C Walnuts, slightly roasted
½ C Celery, peeled and sliced
Chopped Parsley


PROCEDURES:

1. In a bowl, place mayonnaise, cream, honey and Parmesan Cheese. 
2. Mix lightly till well blended. 
3. Add in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Continue mixing till all spices are equally distributed in mixture. 
4. Place in lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix and set aside in chiller. 
5. On a separate bowl, place in remainder of ingredients. Chill for an hour. 
6. Fold in dressing into apple mixture until well coated. Chill for another hour. 
7. Serve on a lettuce cup and top with chopped parsley. 

Try it and I know you will love this simple concoction of apples and walnuts. And as you take a bite, imagine yourself 100 years back in the streets or foyer of one of the world's famous hotel in the world's busiest city. 

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_salad