Walnuts are a popular addition to salads, particularly those with contrasting flavors and textures. The Waldorf salad, consisting of celery, fruit, nuts, and mayonnaise, was once popular but has lost popularity due to its high fat content. Nut dressings, such as candied or spiced nuts, can enhance the flavor of a nut salad.
With their pleasant crunch and creamy nutty taste, walnuts make a welcome addition to many types of salads. In fact, walnuts can be added to almost any type of salad, but are most often found in those that feature other ingredients with flavors that complement that of the nut. Among the most popular types of nut salad are those that include intensely flavored fresh or dried fruits, vegetables, and cheeses, as well as the combination of celery, fruit, nuts, and mayonnaise known as Waldorf salad. Sometimes, the taste of a nut salad is enhanced by adding a sweet or spicy nut dressing.
Many cooks try to build a nut salad around a principle of contrasting flavors and textures. Because nuts have a mild, creamy flavor and a crunchy bite, they tend to work well with strong flavors and also pair well with soft or chewy ingredients. Thus, a nut salad commonly features a heavily flavored green, such as spinach or arugula, as well as a rich, robust cheese such as gorgonzola or pecorino. They also combine well with certain fruits, such as tart, chewy dried cranberries, or subtly tangy fresh cherries or apples or pears.
During the 20th century, the dish known as Waldorf salad was one of the most popular types of nut salad in the United States. This salad, invented at New York’s Waldorf Hotel in the late 19th century, usually consists of celery, fruit such as apples or grapes, nuts, and mayonnaise. As the public became increasingly health-conscious in the late 20th century, however, this dish’s high fat content caused it to lose popularity. Some cooks have attempted to improve the nutritional profile of Waldorf salad by replacing the dish’s mayonnaise with low-fat dressing or yogurt.
Sometimes, the taste of a nut salad is enhanced by adding nut dressing. For example, some salad recipes call for candied nuts or walnuts that have been coated in sugar syrup and seasonings like cinnamon and vanilla and then baked until a crunchy glaze has formed. Sweetening nuts in this way can accentuate the flavor contrast between nuts and savory ingredients like cheese or tart dressings like vinaigrettes. In other cases, the nuts can be spiced up with spicy seasonings. For example, walnuts can be dipped in beaten egg, tossed with spices like cayenne pepper and paprika, and then cooked until a crispy coating has developed.
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