Grape Salad with Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- ¼ cup lemon vinaigrette (recipe followed)
- ½ cup red seedless grapes (rinsed and pat dried, then cut into halves or quarters depends on size)
- 0.25 ounce goat cheese (crumbled)
- ⅓ cup candied walnuts (recipe followed)
Candied Walnuts:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup walnuts (halves & pieces)
Lemon Vinaigrette:
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- Zest from ½ lemon
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 1½ lemons)
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the candied walnuts, prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a small nonstick pan over medium heat, without adding any oil, add walnuts. Stir and toast for about 4 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.
- In the same pan over medium heat, add butter. Once melted, add sugar and salt. Mix, then leave alone until most of the sugar has melted. Once it starts to bubble, add nuts. Stir and mix for 2 minutes. Carefully pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread out the nuts and set aside to cool completely. Chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- For the lemon vinaigrette, in a small bowl, whisk together garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, dijon mustard and honey. While whisking, slowly drizzle olive oil until well blended. Season with salt and pepper and give a quick whisk. Set aside in the fridge.
- For the salad, in a large mixing bowl, toss the arugula with 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Taste and add more if needed. Place half of the arugula on serving plate, scatter grapes and goat cheese all over. Sprinkle walnuts over. Then do another layer of arugula, grapes, goat cheese and walnuts. Serve immediately.
Notes
- When making the melted sugar for the walnuts, be extra careful. Melted sugar is very hot and should be handled with care.
- Leftover candied walnuts can be kept in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to one week.
- This lemon vinaigrette makes about ⅔ cup of dressing. For any leftover, store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- I used only about 0.25 ounce of goat cheese. If you love goat cheese, feel free to add more. It’s the same for grapes and candied walnuts. Add as much as you like.
- This salad can serve up to 3 people. It looks like a lot of green at first, but arugula will wilt a bit after coated with dressing.
- This salad can be prepared ahead. Get all the components ready a few hours early and keep everything in the fridge separately (candied walnuts can stay at room temperature). Toss the salad right before serving.