A recipe for the Waldorf Astoria Salad has been circulating in my kitchen for at least twenty years.
It’s on a card. One of those laminated cards that used to be purchased by mail years ago.
You received an advertisement and if you wanted a supply of these cards you sent back a card, or a pre-filled envelope. Then you paid with a postal order. A minimal amount, a thousand lira, then a euro. I don’t remember precisely anymore but certainly not much more.
What I know is that, precisely because they were inexpensive, over time I purchased several of these cards and still keep a certain number of them. And I always find them in my way! 😀 Sometimes some fall out of the cookbooks, where I use them as bookmarks, and then they regularly fall to the floor when I pick up a book, sometimes I look at them and say to myself “why haven’t I made this recipe yet?”.
So, my interest in the Waldorf Astoria Salad started from one of these cards.
Over time I also found the recipe in books and magazines, and recently, since I finally decided to try making it, I also did some research online. And I realized that the recipe on my card wasn’t exactly the original recipe.
I discovered that from the original recipe, created in New York in 1893 by the maître d’hôtel of the famous hotel it is named after (the story is told here), the variations have multiplied.
And thank goodness!
I too had bought celeriac and apples with the intent of trying the original recipe. But then… who better than me can understand all those who have varied the recipe? 😀
In the end, I made it like this, following the recipe from my famous laminated card (I couldn’t help it!) and adding not walnuts (the first variant dating back to 1928), not almonds (as in my card) but a mix of the two with the addition of hazelnuts. Which give the right crunchiness to it all.
Try it!
〰 〰 〰
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 5.3 oz celeriac
- 5.3 oz green apple
- 6 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 3 teaspoons plain yogurt
- 5 almonds
- 5 hazelnuts
- 2 walnuts
- lemon juice
- pepper (optional)
Tools
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Nutcracker
Steps
Peel the apple and cut it into julienne strips. Drizzle with some lemon juice to prevent browning.
Peel the celeriac and cut it into julienne strips. Some lemon juice is also useful for the celeriac as it tends to darken after peeling.
👉 Peeling and cutting celeriac is a slightly more demanding task than peeling the apple. I recommend using a cutting board and a good knife.
Blanch the celeriac julienne for 2 minutes, maximum 3, in a little water.
☝ As you know, I don’t like to cook vegetables in water, so I limited it to a finger’s width of water at the bottom of the pan, stirred the julienne with a spoon while the little water boiled, then covered with a lid and turned off the heat. (*)
After two to three minutes, drain the celeriac, briefly cool it under a stream of cold water, and pat it dry with a cloth to dry.
Coarsely chop the almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts with a knife.
Mix the mayonnaise and yogurt in a small bowl. If desired, add a little lemon juice.
Dress with the obtained sauce, add the nut, hazelnut, and almond mix, leaving some aside for decoration.
Mix, decorate with the nut mixture, and add pepper if you like.
Serve immediately.
The purpose of blanching the celeriac is to soften it without removing its characteristic crunch.
But here’s a tip: I’ve also tried making this Waldorf Astoria Salad with raw celeriac, and we liked it that way too. 😉
This Waldorf Astoria Salad is my third recipe for the 50 Shades of…apple project. For more information on the project, and to see all the recipes proposed so far by all the participating bloggers, you can check out this page.
My two previous recipes for this project are: Red Cabbage and Apples and Baked Apples, try them both!
And now, before running off to eat my tasty Waldorf Astoria Salad… I renew my usual salt-free advice, could it be otherwise? 😉
Salt-Free Advice
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually, the palate needs to get accustomed slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that do not disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Sometimes allow yourself a break from the rule. It’s good for your mood and helps to persevere.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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On my new WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page, on Pinterest and in my two groups: Catia’s Group, in the Kitchen and Beyond and Just What I Was Looking For! and if you like… subscribe to my Newsletter.
