BLATHER REVIEW

Waldorf Salad, Where Have You Been All My Life?

So anyway, while operating heavy machinery and daydreaming the other day, my thoughts turned to Fawlty Towers. Among the far too few episodes is one where an American and his English bride stay at the hotel. The American is, of course, dissatisfied with Basil's operation for many reasons -- one of which is that Basil doesn't know how to fix a Waldorf Salad.

The American has to repeatedly remind Basil of what's in the salad. "Oh for... Apples, walnuts...! Celery, grapes...! In a mayonaise sauce...!" I have to say, the thing didn't sound very appetizing.

But, last night, I did some googling to find out how to make a Waldorf Salad. There is, I was quick to discover, not one recipe, but many variations on the original. The original recipe was invented in the 1890s by the maitre d' of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York and included only diced apples, chopped celery and mayonaise, and it was instant hit. Walnuts were added soon after, and grapes soon after that.

I read a few variations of Waldorf Salads last night. There were ingredients that sounded good, and some that I could do without. So, I made a list of ingredients that I liked and went shopping this afternoon. About an hour ago I made a Waldorf Salad. Oh, my. This is good.

Now, mind you, all I've had so far is a small room-temperature sample. The bulk of the mix is chillin' in the fridge for later. I didn't write down exactly how much of each ingredient I used, but that's okay. If memory serves, here's how a bowl of my version of Waldorf Salad ended up in the fridge:

I soaked a handful of raisins in some warm water to puff 'em up.

I mized about four tablespoons of mayonaise just a some sugar (maybe a tsp), a few dashes of cinnimon, some lemon juice that was squeezed from two thin wedges, and some pineapple juice that sat in the bowl after I'd cut a pineapple ring in it. (The pineapple juice was an unintetional ingredient, but so what.)

I cut a small Fugi apple into bit sized pieces -- say, half-inch squares. (The lemon juice in the mayo is supposed to keep the apples from turning brown, I hear.)

I, as I mentioned, cut up one canned pinapple ring into bite-sized pieces.

I took about 15 green seedless grapes and cut them in half lengthwise.

I chopped one stalk of celery. First I split it lengthwise, then I chopped it crosswise every 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

I used about a half of a small bag of chopped walnuts -- the little snack bags that cost about $1.⁵⁰.

Then, just because I could, I grabbed a small handful of mini marshmellows. The ones I used were actually four-colored and four-flavored mixed together. The pink ones are cherry, the green ones are lime, the yellow ones are lemon and the orange ones are orange. flavored.

I threw the apples, raisins, grapes, walnuts, celery and pineapple into a bowl and dumped in the mayonaise sauce. Stirred it up good. There should only be enough mayo to coat the fruits and nuts. This is one yummy snack I tells ya.

Traditionally, this is supposed to be served over a bed of soft lettuce. And, from what I can taste, lettuce would be a perfect way to finish this off. But, I don't have any lettuce so I just ate it off a plate. I've never been much of a fan of walnuts, but walnuts & mayo, along with everything else, are an outstanding combo.

The bowl should be chilled about know. I think I'll be having some more soon. Aw, hell, I'm having some now...

Posted by Tuning Spork at September 17, 2005 05:58 PM | TrackBack