I've been making
Waldorf Salad ever since the 70s. It's a recipe that has always been easy to remember as it was clearly stated in a very funny
episode of the British sitcom, Fawlty Towers. In a nutshell (or perhaps a walnut shell?), innkeeper Basil Fawlty
encounters a very rude and demanding American, Mr. Hamilton, who first requests a drink -- a
screwdriver -- of which he had never heard, and then baffles him completely by ordering
a Waldorf Salad. After informing him that
the hotel is “out of Waldorfs," Hamilton barks at him that it is “celery, apples,
walnuts, grapes, in a mayonnaise sauce.”
Essentially, that’s it. Easy, right? And it is easy, but a couple of additions can make this salad a touch better than the classic version first created circa 1893 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City.
Essentially, that’s it. Easy, right? And it is easy, but a couple of additions can make this salad a touch better than the classic version first created circa 1893 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City.
Here’s my version:
Waldorf Salad
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced, cored, tart apples
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup Melissa’s Champagne grapes
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup heavy cream, whipped until thick
¼ cup mayonnaise
A pinch of freshly grated lemon zest
A pinch of cinnamon
Combine celery, apples, walnuts, grapes, zest, and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir together cream and mayonnaise, and toss with the salad mixture. Top with a few gratings (or pinch) of good cinnamon. Serve on a lettuce leaf with additional champagne grapes as a garnish, at room temperature or chilled.
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