It is officially Autumn. Lots of pumpkins and apples at farm-stands, color coming in the trees, leaves falling, and that nip in the air that reminds us that summer is at an end. I love fall. I love the colors, the crisp air, the clear light. And the food! Summer was great and I enjoyed all of the fresh food, but who doesn’t welcome back hot soups and stews, butternut squash, and apples? I recently was looking for a fall salad and thought apple, frisee, and endive would be a good combination. I decided to stack it! Not only does it look great, but it also tastes amazing with the crunch of apples and greens and the subtle hints of maple and bacon.
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Ingredients
- 2 apple(s) gala or braeburn
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 shallot(s) very thinly sliced and separated into rings
- 3 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 4 slices bacon thick cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
- 1 bunch frisee lettuce outer leaves removed
- 1 belgian endive sliced crosswise into rings just before assembling
Instructions
- Core and thinly slice apples, place in a bowl with water and a dollop of lemon juice.
- In a small bowl combine shallots and vinegar. Set aside.
- In a heavy frying pan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp and brown, drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 3 Tablespoons of the bacon fat and return pan to low heat.
- Remove shallots from vinegar and reserve.
- Add vinegar to hot bacon fat, whisking until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Break frisee into sprigs and mix with endive. Dress lightly with bacon fat vinegar combination, reserving some dressing to drizzle on salads.
- On salad plates arrange 2 apple slices, then some of the dressed greens and some shallot slices.
- Repeat using single apple slice, then the other components 2 times more ending with an apple slice. Drizzle with warm dressing, sprinkle with bacon and serve.