With warmer temperatures becoming the norm, we're craving something refreshing. Thank goodness for the Waldorf salad, a lighter take on a salad that's chock-full of cold-weather produce like Gala apples and celery root.
We turned to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, home of the original salad, to learn how to make the perfect rendition of this salad. Keep reading for step-by-step directions.
The Waldorf salad may be over a century old, but even today, it remains a timeless American classic. The apple and walnut salad was first created in the late 1800s at New York's legendary Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where it's still the most frequently requested recipe on the menu. We stopped in to the kitchen where it all began and saw firsthand how the original Waldorf salad is prepared. See how the salad's prepared — it's even lighter and more refreshing than you might think! — then get the recipe.
Until my late teens, I incorrectly assumed that classic pesto got its backbone from walnuts. This notion came from years spent as a small child helping my step-grandmother, Grenelle, blitz up batch after batch. Every Summer she'd harvest her backyard basil crop, and we'd spend afternoons tucking away containers of walnut-studded pesto in her basement freezer to enjoy year-round. Most (if not all) was enjoyed simply — with a platter of saltine crackers, ham, and cheese — though throughout my youth, I shunned pesto for its pungent odor and suspect color.
Years later, after I realized the error of my ways, I dived into a passionate love affair with all things pesto. I called Grenelle for her recipe, remembering the pesto's legion of household fans. I scribbled down the recipe on scrap paper, where it lived for many years, splattered with olive oil. Then one day, while flipping through a tattered copy of the Silver Palate Cookbook, I learned her secret.
She may not have invented this recipe, but today I still consider it Grenelle's pesto. Though pine nuts star in the classic Genovese version, to this day I prefer pesto made with walnuts, as the delicate flavor of pine nuts can get lost amongst the assertiveness of parmesan and raw garlic. Chances are, this version will make you a walnut pesto convert.
A bowl of whole shell-on walnut can be a beautiful part of a holiday spread, but the question arises: how to get at the nutmeats nestled inside? A nutcracker may be the most efficient way to go about this task, but there is another less conventional way to do it without tools, and it's a great party trick to boot.
Photo: Anna Monette Roberts
Place two walnuts in your palm. Find a ridge on one of the nuts and line it up with an indentation on the other, as if putting together two puzzle pieces (this keeps them locked together). Curl fingertips inward using firm pressure, as if trying to make a fist, until the ridged nut cracks open the other.
Walnuts may be the oldest-known cultivated tree crop, but until recently, I had little idea as to how the actual harvesting and processing procedure goes down. Thankfully, the California Walnut Board and Commission invited writers to the Mariani Nut Company's orchards and processing plant to better understand the journey each walnut makes from the tree branch to your plate. Click through to be enlightened and inspired.
It's easy to be intimidated by the prospect of making your own ice cream — after all, it's one of the few dishes that requires its own dedicated piece of equipment. Use an ice cream maker once, however, and you'll find that it's the easiest appliance you'll ever need to use. In truth, that's not the tricky part; tempering your ice cream is.
To eliminate any potential disaster on your first ice cream try, start out with a recipe that doesn't call for an egg yolk or custard base. That way, you won't have to worry about your egg yolks curdling or scrambling, or the lengthy cooling time that follows. While gelato and frozen sorbet contain eggs, ice cream in its purest incarnation actually doesn't. This light, airy ice cream incorporates the rich flavors of maple syrup and walnuts with cream and a touch of milk. Beginners, if you're interested, keep reading for the basic recipe.
Historically, walnuts haven't been an ingredient that comes to mind often when I'm cooking — I typically eat them out of my hand and in banana bread, but that's about it. But recently, I attended a seminar with cooking host Joanne Weir and the California Walnut Board and Commission, where we enjoyed a walnut-centered lunch. From that broadening meal, I learned so many new ways to incorporate the healthy and delicious nut into more recipes. A few of my favorite takeaways:
Find more ideas for walnuts when you keep reading.
Recently, we had the chance to break bread with Chef Joanne Weir, from Joanne Weir's Cooking Class, and talk all about Mediterranean ingredients and cooking styles. One of the dishes that she taught us how to make was a Spanish coca, or pizza. The toppings were simple but satisfying: wilted chard with sweet raisins and walnuts.
The result was light and satisfying, with a great combination of sweet and salty flavors. The crunchy texture of the walnuts complemented the wilted greens really well, which served as a great reminder to use this nutritious nut more often.
The recipe includes a simple dough that requires about one hour of rising time, but feel free to use your favorite store-bought pizza dough to make life easier on yourself. Another option is to make the dough ahead of time, freeze it, then take it out to thaw the morning that you plan to make your coca.
Find this simple and straightforward recipe when you keep reading.
Nuts are one of the best foods you can nosh on because they're full of healthy fats, contain protein and fiber to fill you up, are cholesterol-free, and they're a great snack you can easily pack with you wherever you go. A serving size of nuts is one ounce, which is about a handful. Considering my handful and my hubby's handful look a lot different, I thought it'd be good to go over what exactly one ounce of nuts looks like. Take this quiz to see if you know.
Traveling the globe can be pricey, but trying out new worldly recipes in your own kitchen is an easy and inexpensive way to taste more of the planet. In our world traveler series, we are doing just that: exploring the earth one dish at a time.
Muhammara is a Syrian roasted pepper and walnut dip often served with crackers, on kebabs, or over meat and fish. The longest part of preparing the dip is roasting the bell peppers. Of course you could just buy a jar, but they are so much better fresh. If you have never roasted your own, check out this how-to slideshow. Once you have the roasted bell peppers, the dip is incredibly simple to make with the help of a food processor.
The sweetness from the pomegranate molasses and roasted bell peppers is balanced by the tart lemon juice and spicy kick of jalapeño. I served it with pita chips, but it would be great as a veggie dip or a sandwich condiment. Skip the hummus and the onion dip and give muhammara a try. Curious about the recipe? Keep reading.
