A salad to “fall” in love with! Starring Fall ingredients like Radicchio, Pink Pearl Apples, Pink Radishes, Delicata Squash and teamed with Chèvre Cheese and Pistachios.
Fresh fall produce makes this salad stand out, and will satisfy your healthy cravings. Farmers’ markets are jammed now with end-of-summer delights! Visit one and let the season offerings motivate you to choose your favorite Fall salad ingredients.
Aged six months or more, Midnight Moon® is a blushing, ivory-colored goat cheese that’s nutty and brown buttery up front with a long caramel finish.
I recently visited the Tarrytown NY Farmers’ Market and fell in love with the fresh-farmstead cheeses at Chaseholm Farms (from Pine Plains NY.) Their Moonlight variety – an ashed cheve style cheese, with a light youthful flavor is so delicious. This creamy yet dry goat cheese is perfectly paired with apples – so I’m serving a little wedge of cheese on top of a generous slice of apple.
For my salad I have used these ingredients: Buttercrunch Lettuce, Arugula, Radicchio, Purple Kale, Pink Radish, Cherry and Heirloom Tomatoes, Asian Pear, Caramelized Delicata Squash, Pink Pearl Apples with Moonlight Chèvre Cheese and Pistachio Nuts. Then drizzled with a zesty Garlic-Garlic Vinaigrette. A restaurant quality salad!
Might sound like a lot of ingredients! Yet each mouthful has a nice mix complementary flavors and is really special. Great for any party, holiday or family get-together.
The apples I’m using were bought at Hidden Gem Orchards in Southbury CT. Owner Jim Wargo grows 31 varieties of Heirloom or Unique Apples; he describes as “antique & modern-day apple varieties.” Truly a hidden gem of an orchard!
Pink Pear Apples have a thin tan skin – the flesh also bears some juice and has variegated, pink, red, and white streaking and mottling. Absolutely gorgeous – great for baking too!
They are aromatic and have even levels of sugar and acidity. This balanced nature creates a sweet-tart taste with tangy, berry nuances mixed with subtle notes of grapefruit.
There are endless ways to compile a Fall Salad ~ first think what’s in season, the flavors you like, multiple textures and colors.
Enjoy the fresh, bountiful flavors of Fall!
Karen
Fall Salad with Chèvre and Pink Pearl Apples
A salad to “fall” in love with! Starring Fall ingredients like Radicchio, Pink Pearl Apples, Pink Radishes, Delicata Squash and teamed with Chèvre Cheese and Pistachios.
Ingredients
- 4 cups buttercrunch lettuce , torn or cut (or your favorite type)
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup Radicchio, torn or cut
- 1 cup purple kale leaves, torn or cut
- 1/3 cup pink radishes, sliced thinly, or watermelon radish
- 1/2 cup cherry or heirloom tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 medium asian pear, cored, cut very thinly
- 1 cup Caramelized Delicata Squash*
- 1 medium Pink Pearl Apple , (or your favorite type)
- 4 ounces Chèvre Cheese , I used Moonlight Chèvre
- 3 tablespoons pistachio nuts, chopped if desired
- 1/2 cup Karen's Garlic Garlic Vinaigrette, (or Shallot-Thyme Vinaigrette)
Instructions
- Make the Caramelized Delicata Squash (recipe below.)
Prepare the Goat Cheese on Apples:
- Cut apple in quarters and remove the core. Slice into 1/4″ slice wedges. Place on a tray or plate to hold. Cut cheese log in half, and then cut half-moon 1/4″ slices. Place a slice of cheese on each apple slice. Will add to salad, or- can melt in oven slightly. Set aside.
Compile the Salad:
- Wash and dry all lettuces. Add Lettuce, Arugula, Radicchio and Kale to a large serving plate (or arrange on individual plates.) Top with ingredients: Sliced Radishes, Cut Cherry and Heirloom Tomatoes, Sliced Asian Pears and Caramelized Delicata Squash.
- Top with Chèvre-Apples slices and scatter Pistachio Nuts all over. Drizzle with Vinaigrette and enjoy!
*Caramelized Delicata Squash:
- (Rind is edible) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off ends off one large delicata squash. Cut in half lengthwise, discard any seeds. Cut into 1/2″ half moon slices – place on a baking tray. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil (or coconut oil), 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Mix up to coat the squash and roast in the oven, turning once until tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add a pinch on sea salt if desired. Cool.
Notes
These ingredients are what I love together ~ feel free to use your favorites.
I also serve the salad as a main course, adding a piece of spiced, grilled salmon to each plate.
This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 86mgPotassium: 321mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2510IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is the best salad I ever made. Wonderful mix of ingredients and looks very pretty. Made for a dinner party and it was stunning and all eaten. Really loved the dressing, garlicky but not overpowering. I will try other salads from this site. All went home with this recipe link.
Thanks Molly for this wonderful review! So happy to hear the salad was a big hit. Yes, many, many salads on the site. 😀Karen