Description
Homemade crispy apple cranberry delight combines sweet and tart flavors for a delightful dessert experience. Crunchy textures and seasonal ingredients make this treat perfect for autumn gatherings when friends crave something special.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups butter lettuce, romaine or your favorite greens
- 1.25 cups orange-flavored dried cranberries (alternative: regular dried cranberries)
- 1 cup diced honeycrisp apples (about 1 medium apple; substitutes: Fuji, Gala, Braeburn)
- 0.75 cup candied Fisher pecans
- 0.75 cup blue cheese crumbles (alternatives: gorgonzola or feta cheese)
- 0.5 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 0.5 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 0.25 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 to 4 tbsps (29.57 to 59.14 ml) honey
- 2 to 4 tbsps (29.57 to 59.14 ml) olive oil
Instructions
- Platter Preparation: Create a lush green foundation by layering crisp lettuce across a wide serving dish, ensuring complete coverage and visual appeal.
- Fruit Composition: Strategically distribute diced apples and vibrant cranberries across the lettuce, creating a colorful mosaic of textures and flavors.
- Nutty Enhancement: Sprinkle caramelized pecans and crumble blue cheese over the surface, introducing rich, complex flavor dimensions and crunchy contrast.
- Dressing Creation: Blend honey, seasonings, and remaining liquid ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and well-integrated, adjusting sweetness and seasoning to taste.
- Final Assembly: Drizzle the prepared dressing delicately over the salad, gently tossing to ensure even coating without compromising the structural integrity of the ingredients.
- Serving Presentation: Plate the salad immediately, showcasing the vibrant colors and diverse textures, maintaining the optimal temperature and freshness of each component.
Notes
- Lettuce Layering Technique: Create a solid base with lettuce spread evenly to provide a crisp, fresh foundation that supports other ingredients.
- Apple Precision Matters: Dice apples uniformly to ensure consistent texture and prevent browning by cutting just before serving.
- Pecan Caramelization Secret: Toast pecans carefully to enhance their nutty flavor and create a crunchy caramelized exterior without burning.
- Dressing Balance Tip: Adjust honey and seasoning gradually, tasting as you blend to achieve a perfect sweet-tangy harmony that complements the salad’s ingredients.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 240
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg