Easy Make-Ahead Endive & Apple Salad ♥ Recipe

Today's winter salad recipe: Just sliced endive and apple tossed in a quick curry vinaigrette. Make-ahead for holiday buffets or potluck gatherings, adding welcome freshness and a bit of "crunch" to rich food.

Note #1: The Saturday before Thanksgiving is grand timing for a party! We were feeling all geared up and festive but it was too soon to start cooking for Thanksgiving and way too soon to be (over)planning Christmas gatherings. So that night, four couples gathered for an "Alsatian Harvest Feast" – and did we ever feast! The meal was seven courses over five hours, each course better than the next. A charcuterie platter with two kinds of hand-made Alsatian sausage. Swiss and French raclette, warmed until melty on the stove in a small cast iron serving dish. (We have three, all from Lodge, small to slightly bigger to slightly bigger still, an oval, a rectangle and a round. We love them all!) Chicken liver pate. Excellent homemade bread! Warm onion soup. A tiny serving of yogurt sorbet as a palate cleanser, topped with a spoonful of Schnapps! A stunning crown roast with homemade fresh sauerkraut. Alsatian white beans simmered in white wine. (That recipe you'll see soon!) This Endive & Apple Salad. An amazing cheese course, all from artisanal Wisconsin cheese producers. A wedge of a crispy pear tart with a smear of pear butter and whipped cream. Was that seven courses? Forgive me if I lost track.

Note #2: A completely make-ahead salad is a blessing! I mixed the dressing in the morning, then dressed the endive and apples in early afternoon, then put it aside to chill. It was good the first day, even better the second so I could have made the salad the day before! The mix of bitter greens (What Are Bitter Greens?) and sweet apple is a great combination and a welcome "simple salad" amid rich food. It would be great for a holiday buffet, a take-along potluck, etc. And yes, do make it ahead!

Note #3: Endive is way less expensive than I was thinking! At my grocery, it's $2.99 a pound but there's little waste.

Note #4: I adore this easy and festive appetizer using endive leaves as "boats" to hold fresh crab meat, see Mini Crab Bites.

RECIPE for EASY MAKE-AHEAD ENDIVE & APPLE SALAD
with CURRY VINAIGRETTE

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes but improves if made at 2 - 24 hours ahead of time
Serves 4 (easily multiplie for a crowd)

CURRIED VINAIGRETTE
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or another good-quality light-colored vinegar
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon good salt
Pinch white pepper

2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon cream

ENDIVE & APPLE SALAD
3 endive, halved, cores remove and sliced in strips
1-1/2 apples, skins on, chopped small

CURRIED VINAIGRETTE In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, parsley, curry, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisking all the while, pour the olive oil into the bowl in a slow steady stream. Whisk in the cream.

ENDIVE & APPLE SALAD Toss the endive with about half the vinaigrette, the apples with the remainder. To serve, arrange the endive in the center of a serving plate, then surround it with apples.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
Make the vinaigrette first, even a couple of days ahead, so that when the endive and the apples have been cut, they can be tossed in the vinaigrette right away, this prevents the edges of the endive and the apples from turning brown.
You may not use all the vinaigrette, it's enough to "just wet" the endive and the apples, you don't want the dressing pooling in the serving plate.
For holiday gatherings, consider using part green apple and part red apple.
What's with the odd amount 1-1/2 apples??? When I made a double recipe to serve eight, 6 endive and 3 apples was a perfect balance. Use less, use more, whatever you like!
For prettiness, consider topping with a few fresh herbs, more parsley, say, or even fresh dill.

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Adapted from The Pâtissier: Recipes and Conversations from Alsace, France by Susan Lundquist. Cookbooks featuring Alsatian are difficult to find. This one is "good" for inspiration on knowing "what to cook" but the recipes aren't reliable for amounts/timing, etc. I'm excited to try recipes from Taste of Alsace-Lorraine from The Kitchn.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (using all the dressing): 157 Calories; 9g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 5mg Cholesterol; 232mg Sodium; 17g Carb; 13g Fiber; 4g Sugar; 5g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS: WW Old Points 3 & WW PointsPlus 4 & WW SmartPoints 5 & WW Freestyle 5 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving, 6 servings instead of 4.

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SEASONAL EATING: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS

Swagman Stew Warm Pepper Salad Celery & Apple Salad Spinach & Artichoke Gratin Sliced Brussels Sprouts Creamless Creamed Corn Lemony Creamy Brussels Sprouts Celebrate St. Louis Carrot & Daikon Refrigerator Pickle St Louis Food Gifts "Wonderful" Glazed Turnips & Carrots (< this week's favorite!) Red & Green Warm Spinach Salad Potato Latkes Buckwheat with Mushrooms & Carrots Fast Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts Simple Dandelion Salad Party Rye with Tomato & Cucumber Easy Make-Ahead Endive & Apple Salad Spinach Pinwheels with Pears & Dried Cranberries Christmas Cauliflower

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