Spiced Pecan and Apple Salad with Honey Vinaigrette Recipe
Adapted from Rachel Harkham
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We partnered with the blog The Jew & The Carrot for some High Holidays recipes. This recipe by Rachel Harkham, with apples, spiced nuts, and a sweet-sour vinaigrette, is the gold standard for no-fuss but tasty side salads.
This dish was featured as part of our Hanukkah Recipes photo gallery.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- Generous pinch of cayenne
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 to 8 cups assorted salad greens (such as baby spinach or arugula)
- 2 medium apples, cut into thin slices
INSTRUCTIONS
For the spiced pecans:
- Heat oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Combine half of the honey with the apple pie spice, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Add pecan halves and stir until well coated. Spread out on a baking sheet. Bake until honey bubbles and nuts are toasted, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the vinaigrette:
- Combine remaining honey, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard in a small jar or cruet and shake well. Add olive oil and shake vigorously until well incorporated.
For the salad:
- Arrange salad leaves on a serving platter or divide among individual serving plates. Scatter apple splices and spiced pecans over leaves. Pour apple cider vinaigrette over salad and serve.
This recipe, while from a trusted source, may not have been tested by the CHOW food
team.
I make a very similar salad recipe at least once a week. In fact, I make a huge batch of candied pecans every few weeks because once you have those, this salad is a cinch. My recipe uses balsamic instead of cider vinegar but I bet it would be great this way. Also, mine has maple syrup in the dressing which gives it a nice sweetness. Sometimes I use apples, sometimes oranges or grapefruit, sometimes fuyu persimmons or mango. It's a wonderful salad with any of those fruits. Thanks!
Watch baking nuts carefully -- they can go from raw to burnt in an instant.
This is exactly what chef ordered... i like the fact that it's kosher too. oh yeah pecans are little sensitive thanks for the temperature pointer... :)
Robert,
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This was a great salad. I added goat cheese and it was awesome. Some red onion slivers are good too. I dont remember having a problem making the pecans. I was standing right there so I might have just seen that they were done and taken them out without looking at the time. I have also made the salad with plain toasted pecans and that was also delicious.
I just tried this and the pecans were burnt to a black smoky crisp after only 7 minutes. It could be my oven but I'd recommend a lower temperature and watching them very closely.