Harvest Apple Salad with Cinnamon Walnut Clusters and Shaved Pecorino
Sweater weather has finally arrived. There hasn’t been a day without some rain even if it’s just a light shower (much to my brother’s dismay). He’s in charge of hanging the laundry on our tiny clothesline outdoors so every time rain arrives my dad gives a loud call announcing that “it’s raining!” which causes my brother to jolt up in surprise then quickly run outside to take down the clothes (which usually have just been hung). Poor guy. But it does make for good exercise.
It was on one of these rainy days when I put together this simple salad. It started with some freshly sliced apples and greens. Then I remembered seeing a pack of cranberries sitting around my cupboard for who knows how long and tossed it in. Some caramel cinnamon walnut clusters which I made in the middle of the week. Then shavings of pecorino (a finding from one of the many cheese blocks my mom uses to practice her grilled cheese obsession). Dressing it all up in a tangy sweet dijon mustard vinaigrette that makes every salad taste 1000x better. Even my brother who is vegetable averse ate this and got seconds! A very rare occurrence.
Just A Few Tips
- Be generous with the toppings. A big part of what makes a salad more interesting is the combination of all the components. So think crisp juicy apples, chewy tart cranberries, crunchy candied walnuts and salty peppery pecorino. All of this comes together in one flavorful mouthful.
- Experiment! You can use this recipe as a guide then mix and match from there (after all this is a harvest salad 😉) Fresh Arugula? Pomegranates? Pecans? Shaved asparagus? Nothing is off the table.
Harvest Apple Salad with Cinnamon Walnut Clusters and Shaved Pecorino
Ingredients
Cinnamon Walnut Clusters
- 115 g (1 cup) raw walnuts
- 100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
Apple Salad
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tbsp dijon mustard
- 1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup or agave
- 300 g (3 big handfuls) romaine or arugula
- 2 pcs sliced apples mix of granny smith, honeycrisp, cameo, etc.
- 50 g (¼ cup) dried cranberries
- 30-50 g block of parmesan shaved
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cinnamon Walnut Clusters
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat and set aside.
- In a medium sized dry pan on high heat, toast your walnuts until lightly roasted, about 1-2 minutes. Taste/break one nut, if it's not crunchy or crisp continue to toast. Let cool and set aside.
- In a small pot combine the rest of your ingredients and give it a quick stir. Heat this mixture until it bubbles and froths (all over not just the edges) or until it reaches 300-310°F on a thermometer (hard crack stage). Avoid stirring the sugar and if needed just swirl the pan.
- Once the mixture is very bubbly and has risen, toss in the toasted walnuts gently and lightly stirring as to not agitate the sugar making sure to coat each nut. Leave the pot covered for 1 minute then turn off the heat. Transfer the nuts to the lined pan a few pieces at a time while the rest stay in the hot pot to make sure you don't end up with a huge ball of solidified candied nuts.
Harvest Apple Salad
- In a mason jar, add in the olive oil, mustard, vinegar and maple syrup. Close with the lid and give it a good shake to combine.
- Wash the greens and dry, tearing the large leaves to make it easier to eat. Season with some salt and pepper then give it a light toss. Add in the dressing, walnut clusters, sliced apples and cranberries over the greens, tossing to mix. Top with shaved parmesan. Serve and enjoy!
Some items you might need
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