Escape the ordinary and embrace the vibrant flavors of the season with this exquisite Winter Salad! Bursting with crisp apples, crunchy pecans, tangy blue cheese, and sweet-tart dried cherries, this salad offers a refreshing antidote to the winter blues. It’s so delightful and surprisingly hearty that it will make you forget that garden tomatoes and fresh summer greens are still months away. This truly is a delightful and versatile dish, perfect for any cold-weather gathering or a bright, invigorating weeknight meal.
Why You Must Make This Flavorful Winter Salad
When the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, our culinary cravings often shift towards comforting, hearty meals. However, that doesn’t mean your salad bowl needs to hibernate for the winter! This sensational Winter Salad with Apples, Pecans, Blue Cheese, and Dried Cherries proves that cold-weather produce can create a truly spectacular dish, one that easily rivals any summer favorite. I first introduced this recipe, inspired by the renowned Pioneer Woman, to a bustling New Year’s Day party, and it was an undeniable hit with everyone, from seasoned foodies to those who typically prefer more traditional comfort fare. The consistent rave reviews from both men and women were a clear testament to its broad and appealing charm.
What truly sets this particular salad apart is its ingenious balance of textures and tastes. Imagine the crisp, refreshing bite of fresh, thinly sliced apples, perfectly complemented by the satisfying crunch of toasted pecans. Then, there’s the creamy, pungent, and subtly salty notes of blue cheese, beautifully contrasted by the chewy sweetness and tartness of dried cherries. All these vibrant components are skillfully united by a truly remarkable and unique dressing. This isn’t just a simple side dish; it’s a comprehensive culinary experience designed to brighten even the chilliest winter day. Furthermore, it’s incredibly easy to assemble, making it an ideal choice for busy weeknights when you desire something fresh and flavorful, or as an impressive yet effortless contribution to any holiday potluck or sophisticated dinner party. Prepare to elevate your winter menu with a salad that is anything but ordinary!
The Unforgettable Maple Dijon Dressing
One of the most surprising and ultimately delightful elements of this winter salad is its truly unique dressing. My initial reaction to the original recipe’s surprisingly minimal amount of apple cider vinegar – just one teaspoon for a quarter cup of olive oil – was skepticism. Typically, I lean towards a much higher acid content in my homemade dressings to achieve a vibrant tang. However, even with a slight, personal adjustment to taste, the core brilliance of Ree Drummond’s original vision shines through. This dressing features a generous amount of robust Dijon mustard, which not only brings a delightful tang and subtle spiciness but also acts as an excellent emulsifier, ensuring a smooth, cohesive dressing. This is beautifully complemented by the rich, deep sweetness of pure, real maple syrup.
This somewhat unconventional combination creates a perfectly balanced sweet, tangy, and subtly spicy profile that coats every ingredient with an exquisite layer of flavor. The maple syrup doesn’t merely add sweetness; it provides a deep, warm undertone that perfectly suits the seasonal theme of the salad, creating a wonderful contrast with the sharpness of the blue cheese and the tartness of the dried cherries. This dressing is far more than just a binder; it’s a key player that elevates the entire dish, transforming simple, fresh ingredients into an extraordinary culinary delight. Once you experience this truly unique dressing, it might just become your new favorite for a wide variety of salads, extending far beyond the winter season!
Ingredient Spotlight: Crafting Your Perfect Winter Salad
Each component of this Winter Salad plays a crucial role in creating its perfectly balanced and appealing profile. Using high-quality, fresh ingredients will undoubtedly make a significant difference in the final taste and texture of your dish. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need, along with tips on how to select and prepare them:
- Kitchen Staples: Always ensure you have good quality extra virgin olive oil for the dressing, along with fresh salt and freshly ground black pepper. These foundational elements are essential for bringing out the best in all your salad components and for seasoning everything to perfection.
- Crisp Greens (Spring Mix or Baby Spinach): Both spring mix and baby spinach provide a tender, fresh, and slightly earthy base that holds up wonderfully to the more robust toppings and the creamy dressing. Spring mix offers a delightful variety of textures and subtle flavors, while baby spinach brings a slightly more distinct, earthy note. Choose whichever you prefer or even a combination for added complexity and visual appeal. Always look for vibrant, unwilted leaves when purchasing.
- Granny Smith Apples: The distinctive tartness and wonderfully crisp texture of Granny Smith apples are absolutely indispensable in this salad. They provide a bright, acidic counterpoint that cuts through the richness of the other ingredients, creating a refreshing balance. Core them thoroughly and slice them very thinly – a mandoline is highly recommended for achieving uniform, delicate slices that integrate beautifully into each and every bite. If a mandoline isn’t available, a very sharp knife and a steady hand will also work effectively.
- Pecan Halves (Toasted): Toasting your pecans is an absolute game-changer! This simple step profoundly deepens their nutty flavor, making them more aromatic and enhancing their satisfying crunch. You can easily toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently until they become fragrant, or spread them on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 5-7 minutes. Be sure to watch them carefully to prevent burning, as they can turn quickly.
- Dried Cherries: These beautiful, ruby-red gems add a wonderful burst of intense sweet-tart flavor and a delightful chewy texture that perfectly complements the crispness of the apples and the crunch of the nuts. Trader Joe’s tart dried cherries are a personal favorite for their vibrant flavor, but feel free to use any good quality dried cherries you can find. If they are unavailable, dried cranberries (often sold as Craisins) make an excellent substitute, offering a similar tartness and chewy texture.
- Maytag Blue Cheese: The pungent, creamy, and distinctively salty notes of blue cheese are essential for providing that savory kick that brilliantly balances the sweetness of the fruit and maple syrup in the dressing. Maytag Blue, known for its relatively mild yet distinct flavor profile, is superb, but any favorite blue cheese variety – such as creamy Gorgonzola, bold Roquefort, or crumbly Stilton – will work beautifully. Cut it into small, manageable cubes or crumble it evenly for optimal distribution throughout the salad.
- Dijon Mustard: This is a key emulsifier and a vital flavor enhancer for the dressing. I always have Grey Poupon on hand for its reliable quality, but any good quality Dijon mustard will provide that characteristic sharp, tangy, and slightly spicy flavor that makes the dressing so special.
- Real Maple Syrup: This is non-negotiable for the dressing! You must use only pure, real maple syrup for its natural depth of flavor, complex sweetness, and authentic aroma. Avoid any artificially flavored syrups, which lack the richness and natural notes that make this dressing truly extraordinary.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This ingredient provides the necessary acidity to perfectly balance the sweetness of the maple syrup and to enhance the overall vibrancy and tanginess of the dressing. Start with the suggested amount and then adjust to your personal taste preference, adding a little more if you desire a tangier, brighter dressing profile.
When to Serve This Seasonal Gem
This delightful concoction of dressed greens and gourmet goodies truly earns its moniker as a “Winter Salad.” It’s specifically designed for the colder months when the vibrant bounty of summer gardens – think fresh, ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and tender berries – becomes a distant, fond memory. Instead of lamenting the absence of those warm-weather staples, this salad beautifully invites you to celebrate the incredible produce that truly shines during the fall and winter seasons. The thinly sliced, tart Granny apples, robust toasted pecans, creamy, tangy blue cheese, and chewy dried cherries create a harmonious blend that you’ll find utterly satisfying and perfectly comforting.
The carefully crafted sweet and tangy maple Dijon dressing further cements its seasonal appeal, expertly tying all the components together with a sophisticated glaze. You won’t miss your typical summer salads one bit when you experience the perfect symphony of sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy elements in every single forkful of this dish. This Winter Salad is not just a meal; it’s an experience that delivers a burst of much-needed freshness and complex flavor precisely when you need it most. It’s truly magnificent any month of the year, providing a refreshing counterpoint to heavier winter meals or serving as a vibrant and elegant centerpiece entirely on its own.
Consider serving this stunning salad at your most festive holiday gatherings, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, lively New Year’s celebrations, or any winter dinner party where you aim to impress guests with something both elegant and approachable. It also makes for a fantastic, light yet surprisingly filling lunch, or a sophisticated side dish for roasted chicken, succulent pork loin, or even a hearty vegetarian main course. Its vibrant colors, appealing textures, and complex flavors make it a true showstopper on any table, promising a delightful culinary journey with every single bite.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About This Winter Salad
This salad is characterized as a “winter salad” because it intentionally avoids ingredients typically found in many summer salads, such as garden tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, ripe berries, peaches, radishes, or sweet corn. Instead, it highlights produce that is more readily available and popular during the fall and winter months. Key components include crisp apples, various nuts, and dried fruits like cherries or cranberries. Furthermore, its unique dressing, made with warming apple cider vinegar and rich maple syrup, perfectly complements the seasonal theme and hearty ingredients, offering a fresh yet comforting flavor profile suitable for colder weather.
The beauty of winter salads lies in their remarkable versatility! While this recipe is fantastic as is, you can easily customize it with other seasonal ingredients to suit your taste or what’s available. Consider swapping apples for thinly sliced pears, which offer a softer texture and subtle sweetness. Roasted root vegetables are also excellent additions: butternut squash, carrots, fennel, or beets, when roasted, become wonderfully soft and sweet, adding depth and vibrant color. Other fantastic options include pomegranate arils for a burst of juicy tartness, segments of oranges or mandarins for citrusy brightness, or even roasted Brussels sprouts or finely chopped kale for a heartier green base. Feel free to experiment with different nuts like walnuts or candied pecans for varied crunch and flavor.
Absolutely! To prepare this salad ahead, it’s crucial to keep the greens and all the toppings separate from the dressing until just before serving. Slice the apples at the last minute or toss them lightly with a tiny bit of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to prevent them from browning. Store the toasted pecans, dried cherries, and cubed blue cheese in individual airtight containers. Prepare the dressing and store it separately in a jar in the refrigerator. Assemble and toss the salad with the dressing just before serving to maintain optimal freshness, crispness, and to prevent the greens from becoming soggy.
This Winter Salad is wonderfully versatile and pairs beautifully with a variety of proteins, transforming it from a side dish into a more substantial and satisfying meal. Grilled or perfectly roasted chicken breast, tender pan-seared pork tenderloin, or even a flavorful flaky salmon would be excellent choices, adding a significant protein boost. For a delicious vegetarian option, consider adding toasted chickpeas for extra crunch and plant-based protein, or crumbled hard-boiled eggs for a softer texture and rich flavor. These additions will make the salad hearty enough to serve as a complete and balanced lunch or a delightful light dinner.
Tips for Success and Delicious Variations
To ensure your Winter Salad is always a showstopper and perfectly suited to your taste, here are a few expert tips and exciting variations to inspire your culinary creativity in the kitchen:
- Preventing Apple Browning: If you need to slice your apples a little ahead of time, a quick and easy trick is to toss them immediately with a small amount of lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar. This simple acid treatment will effectively prevent them from oxidizing and turning brown, keeping them fresh, crisp, and visually appealing.
- Perfectly Toasted Nuts: Absolutely do not skip the toasting step for your pecans! It takes just a few minutes and profoundly enhances their nutty flavor, making them crunchier, more aromatic, and deeply satisfying. Whether you’re toasting them in a skillet or oven, keep a close eye on them, as nuts can go from perfectly golden to burnt very quickly.
- Dressing Emulsification: When mixing your maple Dijon dressing, ensure you shake it vigorously in a sealed jar or whisk it thoroughly in a bowl until it is fully emulsified. This creates a smooth, cohesive dressing that clings beautifully to the greens and other ingredients, ensuring every bite is flavorful.
- Cheese Alternatives: While Maytag Blue cheese is fantastic for its unique flavor, feel free to experiment with other cheeses. A sharp crumbled feta cheese, creamy and tangy goat cheese, or even delicate shaved Parmesan could offer interesting and delicious flavor profiles. For a milder option, consider cubed Monterey Jack or a mild cheddar.
- Fruit Swaps: You can easily replace dried cherries with dried cranberries for a similar tart-sweet profile, or even try dried apricots cut into small pieces for a different kind of sweetness and chewiness. For fresh fruit additions, thinly sliced pears, segments of juicy oranges, or glistening pomegranate arils are all excellent seasonal choices that add both flavor and visual appeal.
- Nutty Variations: Instead of pecans, consider using toasted walnuts for an earthier flavor, slivered almonds for a delicate crunch, or even candied nuts for an extra touch of irresistible sweetness and texture.
- Heartier Greens: For a more robust and substantial salad, mix in some finely chopped kale (massaged briefly with a little olive oil to tenderize it), or add a handful of peppery arugula alongside your spring mix or spinach for an extra kick.
- Add a Grain: To elevate this salad into an even more filling and complete meal, consider adding a portion of cooked and cooled grains such as quinoa, farro, or wild rice. This makes it perfect for a satisfying lunch or a light dinner.
You May Also Love These Delicious Salads
- Fall Salad with Maple Candied Pecans, Bacon, Apples, and Shaved Brussels Sprouts from Bless This Mess
- Shaved Winter Vegetable Salad from The View from Great Island
- Apple Cherry and Walnut Salad
- Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Pomegranate, and Feta
- Holiday Lettuce Salad
- More Delicious Salad Recipes
We love connecting with our amazing community of home cooks! Stay in touch and share your culinary creations with us on social media. Follow us @ Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to tag us when you try one of our delicious recipes – we love seeing your masterpieces! Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, and if you absolutely love the results, please consider leaving a 5-star rating in the recipe card below to help other home cooks discover this fantastic dish and brighten their winter meals.
Winter Salad with Apples, Pecans, Blue Cheese and Dried Cherries: The Full Recipe
A vibrant, loaded green salad perfect for fall and winter months, combining crisp textures, rich flavors, and a uniquely delicious dressing!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Author: Liz Berg
Published: November 1, 2019
Category: Salads
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (approx. 340g) Spring Mix greens or tender baby spinach
- 2 large Granny Smith apples, thoroughly cored and sliced very thinly (using a mandoline is highly recommended for achieving uniform slices)
- ½ cup (approx. 60g) pecan halves, lightly toasted for enhanced nutty flavor and crunch
- ¼ cup (approx. 30g) dried cherries (tart varieties are preferred for balance, but dried cranberries can be used as an alternative)
- 6 ounces (approx. 170g) Maytag blue cheese, cut into small, bite-sized cubes or crumbled (feel free to use any of your favorite blue cheese varieties)
For the Maple Dijon Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (such as Grey Poupon, for its characteristic tang and spice)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (it’s crucial to use real maple syrup, not artificial pancake syrup)
- 2-3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (start with 2 teaspoons and adjust to your taste for desired tanginess)
- ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil (a good quality oil will make a difference)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Salad Base: Begin by arranging the fresh greens (Spring Mix or baby spinach) evenly across a large salad bowl or a wide, attractive serving platter. This creates a beautiful, vibrant foundation for your salad components.
- Assemble the Toppings: Artfully distribute the thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, crunchy toasted pecan halves, sweet-tart dried cherries, and rich blue cheese cubes or crumbles over the bed of greens. Ensure a good, even spread so that each serving offers a delightful mix of all the textures and vibrant flavors.
- Whisk the Maple Dijon Dressing: In a small mason jar with a secure, tight-fitting lid, combine all the dressing ingredients: the Dijon mustard, pure maple syrup, apple cider vinegar (starting with 2 teaspoons, then adjusting as needed), extra virgin olive oil, fine sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Close the lid tightly and shake vigorously for about 30-60 seconds until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and the dressing is beautifully emulsified. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients together energetically in a small bowl until completely smooth.
- Dress and Serve Immediately: Just before serving, pour the freshly prepared maple Dijon dressing evenly over the assembled salad ingredients. Gently toss the salad to ensure all the greens and toppings are thoroughly coated with the flavorful dressing. Serve immediately to enjoy the optimal crispness of the apples and greens, and the vibrant, harmonious blend of all the ingredients at their peak freshness.
Recipe Notes & Tips
This recipe, a delightful adaptation inspired by the Pioneer Woman, is designed for both flexibility and fantastic flavor. Don’t hesitate to make it your own!
- Ingredient Swaps: For a slightly different profile, you can easily use thinly sliced pears in place of apples. Walnuts or candied almonds make excellent substitutions for pecans, and dried cranberries (often called Craisins) work wonderfully if dried cherries are preferred or more readily available.
- Preventing Apple Browning: If you must slice your apples ahead of time, toss them with a very small amount of lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar immediately after slicing to prevent oxidation and browning.
- Dressing Customization: Adjust the amount of apple cider vinegar in the dressing to achieve your preferred level of tanginess. For a sweeter dressing, a touch more pure maple syrup can be carefully added.
- Serving Suggestions: This versatile salad makes an excellent side dish for roasted poultry or pork. It can also be transformed into a light yet satisfying main course when topped with grilled chicken, pan-seared steak, or even protein-rich toasted chickpeas.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases, helping support this site at no extra cost to you.
- Pillivuyt 3 quart Ceramic Bowl
- OXO Salad Dressing Shaker
- Salad Tongs
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving (based on 8 servings):
- Calories: 234
- Total Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Cholesterol: 16mg
- Sodium: 384mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 8g
- Protein: 6g
Yield: 8 servings | Serving Size: 1
HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE? We’d be absolutely thrilled if you left a comment on the blog or shared a photo of your beautiful creation on Pinterest! Your valuable feedback not only brightens our day but also helps our wonderful community of home cooks discover and enjoy this fantastic dish.