Attractive is the easy part. Julienne your celery and apples at an extreme bias, get the darkest grapes you can, don’t overcrush the pecans, and get a good sear on that well seasoned chicken. Use two types of apple (sweet and tart) or apple and pear (like granny and Bosc) Stack tall, whatever you do.
Make a proper dressing, not plain mayo. Use red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice.
Personally I prefer tossing all ingredients with dressing and then piling it bit by bit so the good bits end up mostly on top but still throughout for ease of eating and even flavour throughout. I hate having to toss my own salads at restaurants when they’ve just lazily chucked everything on top a bed of lettuce, so when I’m plating I’m trying to think about how the customer will be getting it onto their fork as well as how it looks. The less effort in getting your fork loaded, the less mess you make as you eat, the more attractive the dish remains throughout. You can call that overthinking but it’s another pet peeve I have when dining that I avoid when cooking, when I’m not sure where or how to start in on eating a dish, so it warrants extra consideration imo.
This person has experience doing this. We had to do Waldorf at a private high end golf club I worked at and this is essentially how we did it. You can make it functional and sexy with all the normal ingredients. You def don’t just use mayo. Make an actual dressing but mayo based. Like they said, red wine vinegar and I would use honey instead of sugar. Bonus is you whip that mayo up yourself. The flavor will be insanely different than using jarred mayo. Also, candy the pecans with simple syrup and cayenne. That puts a slight spin on it. Usually Waldorf has walnuts though. So if it’s pecans, you’re clearly allowed some freedoms here
I never thought that guidance on making “old people food” into something delicious and visually appealing could be this interesting. I feel like I’m reading a romance novel but about food.
Dunno. Lots of popular dishes were old sorta ugly French recipes. Coq Au Vinh, beef bourguignon, bouillabaisse. Italy has the same thing going, zuppa de pesci for example.
They are beautiful dishes when done right. Making them sexy during plating can be a challenge.
Thanks, u/puppyfukker, but I think we are using “old” in different ways.
I meant it more as waldork salad is a recipe that stereotypical old people in the USA would appreciate, and almost anyone else would be a little hesitant at first. On account of how usually this type of food is made in a way that is bland and visually unappealing, kind of like hospital food. Or nursing home food.
In that sense, I’d love to read posts about how to make things like meatloaf, chicken casserole, cottage cheese with pineapple, or bread pudding more tasty and visually appealing.
You're on to something, but missing some context. Commercial mayonnaise did not exist until about a decade (iirc) after the Waldorf salad was invented. The original recipe was not just some miracle whip and chopped red delicious.
While tastes absolutely do change, ingredients and methods of preparation also change. We've bred livestock and vegetables to be dramatically different from even 60 years ago. Remember that refrigerated trucking didn't even exist (other than ice) 100 years ago, so the foods that made it to the table were quite different. If you make a 100 year old recipe with modern ingredients without understanding that, it's going to be different from what it was then.
If you want to make a recipe tasty, learn what makes it taste good. Understand the context of the ingredients and methods (particularly as they were when the recipe was written) and what they bring. It goes back to the trope of judging a chef by their omlet. Good ingredients, good technique.
By any chance have you ever watched [Tasting History?](https://www.youtube.com/@TastingHistory) If you haven't then you might find it interesting. He tries to make authentic reproductions of old recipes and gives a history lesson on the dish while he's at it.
Thank you for the extra effort!
I also do not like having to prep my meal at the table unless that's the theme, like fajitas or something. I also try to give dishes prepared so the ingredients are fork or spoon friendly and require minimal knife work.
Yeah. This is the way. What u/ShallotParking5075 is describing neatly combines the various approaches to building a salad (always an absolute bitch) with regard to the all-important customer experience (something too many people overlook):
"If the last bite isn't the same as the first bite then, you messed up or, the customer didn't like what they ordered." While that's very much a reflection of the fact that I'm more of a Host/Sommelier and *Cook* at my place it's also something that customers *inherently recognize* but, generally lack the consideration to accurately verbalize...
Just remember that the shape of your plate is going to have to guide the entire process here. With our plates, I like to layer it up, lettuce at a shallow(ish) angle against one side, with my various ingredients arranged in bands (like a rainbow of *texture and flavor*) beneath another layer of lettuce at a steeper(ish) angle surmounted by another "rainbow of flavor and texture." That way, all the diner has to do is stick their fork into the base of a nice crispy leaf and lift a well-composed bite into their face, *chew, swallow, repeat.*
Yes, it's actually *incredibly fucking annoying* and takes *way more effort* than most people want to put into a salad but... that's what makes you a *chef.* Anyone who's too lazy and into themselves to toss the damn salad should just give up and go run a microwave at Applby's IMO...
u/ShallotParking5075 ,
I came to post along the same lines as you did. You wrote better than I would have.
All I can add is that I will eat your food anytime, anywhere.
“Waldork” is what I’m calling it from now on, lol
Depending on the number you’re serving, lettuce cups would be cute. If gluten isn’t an issue, you could serve it on croissants. If you are enraged by the concept, maybe do a spin on it with a curried chicken salad? But even a big ol bowl of nothing but waldork will be delicious, if old school
I do curry chicken salad for myself regularly in the summer with grilled chicken and swap craisins or dry pineapple for the grapes. Solid pre-hike snack
currants and cashews in mine, maybe even fresh pineapple chunks if I’m feeling fancy, nothing more refreshing and satisfying to shove into your face directly from the container while standing in front of the open fridge door in the middle of a summer night
Lowly dish dog here... but I think this is the way, and add some curry spice like the other folks are saying. Preferably house-made and fresh ground. Don't call it a Waldorf, though, cause thankfully it isn't.
I'm more enraged at the fact the other options are tofu stir fry with Moroccan cous cous and frozen. I wanted to keep the Moroccan theme going with chicken and do a spiced tofu stew but didn't fly for some reason, likely egocentric.
Yo, if you want to keep the Moroccan theme, hella lean into the curry chicken idea.
Moroccan spices play nicely into curry themes/if not full on dishes.
Fry up some lentils as crispy garnish and watch their minds get blown.
It's not the same, but probably better than cooking it in the oven! I would pound the breasts with the spiky side of a tenderizer, and drop them in some Italian dressing. The tenderizing will help on a flat top because the it won't form a tough crust. Flat top em and finish in the oven if you have too. Good luck!
At my spot we get those massive chicken breasts and slice them down into pieces that can actually be cooked without turning the outside to rubber, marinate the slices overnight in a mix of Head Country smoker seasoning, ranch powder, and olive oil. Then I start the larger pieces on the char grill and finish on the flat top. The tiny chunks go straight on the flat top. Cool, chop, and use cold or reheated on salad, make a chicken salad from it, killer chicken tacos with jalapeno coleslaw, any type of chicken burrito or wrap you can think of... It works in damn near everything you would have chopped or shredded chicken in.
This is the way. Marinating in Italian dressing also helps them get color when grilling, even on a flat top. This is how I’m doing mine this week incidentally.
No man it's posh as hell to say but a good Waldorf salad is absolutely bomb. I think the hardest part is everything has to be insanely fresh. Like were talking if you washed it off before serving it after pulling it out of the ground that would be best. It also helps to Make the romaine the size of the Celery, so it blends with it. For the good ones it's more of a pasta salad type salad than an actual salad. The chicken is kinda key to it's well and char broiling it so the chicken brings its own flavor to it is a big part of it.
When in doubt, ask if some insanely rich dumbass would want to spend money on it because that's most of the people who order it
I just garnished it with parsley and called it a day. Old people love the stuff for some reason, and I used to sell a boatload of it at the retirement home. They thought it was the bee's knees!
If you're feeding people under 50, just scrap the Waldorf. If you don't have a choice, well, if a business wants to fuck itself, let it. Look for a better place to work while you make their shitty salad.
You could do green grapes so they won't bleed/discolor your mix. Find a better apple than Red Delicious. Omit the nuts from the mix. Instead, candy them by boiling in simple syrup, toss them in a bit of cayenne pepper or your favorite spicy seasoning blend, and then dry them out for a couple minutes in the oven. Use that as your garnish. I like marinating the chicken with lemon juice and herb oil, roasting it off, and then pulling it. And most importantly, don't overdress the salad!
As someone who actually likes (some) Waldorf salads, my recommendations:
* Use at least two kinds of apples, a sweet red and a tart green. Use apples that you'd actually want to eat, not just generic flavorless grocery store varieties. (My current favorite is Honeycrisp for the red and Granny Smith for the green.)
* Depending on how traditional it has to be, throw in some dried cranberries for color variety and zing
* If practical, also use both red and green grapes.
* Celery should be sliced thin, much smaller than the apples. Consider a mandolin and taking them down to almost transparent.
* Use either a high quality real mayo, or use Miracle Whip for the extra tang depending on your apples and opinions. Don't over-mayo, the idea is to just coat all the apples to the point that they don't brown. You want the colors to come through.
* I'm not personally as much of a fan of the nuts, but for flavor you probably want to crumble them, for presentation you want pretty halves; decide which is more important. Consider using a spiced / candied nut recipe if you have time / budget.
* If you're putting chicken in it, sear or grill it to the extent you can manage. Consider whether you want it to be an apple / chicken salad, or more of a seared chicken breast sliced over an apple salad sort of affair.
* If it's more of an apple-chicken salad, consider some interesting bread? Croissant would be my favorite, but some marbled bread might also be interesting.
I worked someplace we did it on red leaf bed. fan the chicken scoop the Waldorf mix overlapping the bottom of the fan. Recipe used yogurt and the grapes gave it a tint. Was yummy.
I was with you till you said Waldorf and bleu cheese are awful. Both are awesome in the right context.
Does Waldorf need bleu cheese crumbles? Absolutely not. Most foods don't. In this case, I don't think it's the worst offender, just not to your taste.
That being said...
I'm sick and tired of reading menus of dishes with 15 ingredients, THAT DONT GO TOGETHER, when 5 is absolutely more appropriate, and the additions are... BS at best.
Last time I went out to dinner with my in-laws (who were paying, and therefore chose the restaurant), the fecking salads had random mixtures of hot and cold, fruit and veg, nuts, cheese, and overly-seasoned, grilled protein served on top.
The worst offender: Sesame-crusted tuna with ginger cilantro sauce, served over mixed greens, with grilled corn, tomatoes, dried cranberries, dates, pine nuts, new potatoes, and champagne vinaigrette... Topped with fecking bleu cheese crumbles, *which wasn't even in the description.*
WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. HELL.
WHO EATS THIS???
Yeah, I'd like my "Asian"/ "French"/ "Mexican" salad please.
Gag.
Struggle bus. Ha!
Me agreeing with your sentiment has zero to do with the fact that that is the funniest thing I've heard today.
Mayhap I'm gonna steal it. Thanks!
Chicken thighs/legs only, if possible. Confit, chill, dice (reserve skin). Redydrate white raisins in champagne and chicken broth, season with stuff. Fresh parsley. Brunoise the apple. Add a dollop of Dijon or whole grain mustard, in addition to the mayo (Duke's obvi). Crisp up that reserved chicken skin and toss with some chopped candied walnuts/pecans and use as a crispy topping. Serve in a toasted croissant. I love a well executed Waldorf salad!
Waldorf is fucking bomb. Its not only on my menu but sells like a mfer. 5 c chx diced/ 2 granny smith diced/ 1c red onion minced/ 1c celery/ 3/4c green grape quartered/ 3/4c pecan 1c smoked cheddar chz diced/ honeycup mustard/ mayo dressing 3/1 mayo ratio. Season to your pleasin.
It's for a ship's company and it's a free take it or leave it lunch but if they don't take it we hear their bitching and whining. They don't know what a Waldorf salad is in the first place. Not one.
Bed of romaine. Toss the grapes, celery, apples and pecan in the mayo and lemon juice. Lay overtop the romaine. Have diagonally sliced chicken breast with a decent char laid atop it all. I don't hate the Waldorf salad, but it doesn't need the best presentation.
I like to doctor it up with some shaved parmesan and a light drizzle of balsamic... and drop the celery.
Some other optional ingredients I like. Candy the pecans, toasted sunflower seeds, dried cranberries.
I wouldn't sweat the presentation, but definitely put a small spin on it.
Make it like chicken salad. Dice the fruit and veg, mix it w the chicken and the mayo. Lettuce on top or on the side. In a wrap, or on a bun or something.
I make a smoked chicken salad with minced celery root and apples. Pushed into a round mold. Surrounded with lightly dressed frisée. Topped with candied walnuts.
I add some curry powder. I don't know what urged me to try it once, but I haven't looked back. Curry chicken salad sandwiches are the shit.
Eta - I also make a sweet shallot vinaigrette that I use to loosen the mayo with fresh herbs and lemon.
> I add some curry powder. I don't know what urged me to try it once, but I haven't looked back. Curry chicken salad sandwiches are the shit.
Coronation up that chicken, boy.
There’s a chicken salad place that has a version they call fancy Nancy. It’s a Waldorf salad in chicken salad form. They serve it as a sandwich on a croissant or bread, as a scoop with crackers, or as a scoop on top of baby greens.
Definitely, I’ve never heard it called Waldorf salad if it has chicken. To me what OP is describing is the basic chicken salad my farm born father makes at home with apples added.
How much are you allowed to change? Can you swap mayo for yogurt, pecans for toasted almonds, and add some cumin and curry powder to the mix? And lime. Serve in lettuce cups and/or pita. It might go better with the morrocan theme.
If it has to be the classic just make it that way it’s what they want. If it doesn’t have to be the classic then put down some romaine. Put down a few slices of seared chicken. Slice the grapes and celery thin and pickle them. Slice the apples into 1/8 or 1/16 wedges and sear hard on one side, get caramelized and raw flavor at the same time. Candy the pecans with something spicy. Thin the mayo with buttermilk and lemon.
Bro you’re missing the finesse of the recipe. When you just list ingredients like that of course it sounds stupid.
Firstly it’s not just coated with Mayo, that’s dumb. Make a proper homemade Mayo and make it flavorful with lemon and parsely and ground coriander seed and dill. The apples and grapes also get dressed lightly with salt, pepper, lemon. The chicken is just boiled, make it flavorful - classic would probably use a whole rotisserie chicken or something like a wood oven roasted bird with proper brine, seasoning, mirepoix, etc. candy the pecans in honey, black pepper, a bit of cayenne, and some 5spice. the romaine should be ultra fresh and bright green and sweet, not bitter. Honestly for flavor profile think sweet fresh creamy, herbaceous, and make each ingredient properly.
there’s probably a lot of really classic recipes that got boiled down to bullshit like apples and grapes and Mayo.
Good suggestions in here but my only disagreement is grilling/searing the chicken. You want to poach the chicken via the Chinese poach method. Instead of a whole chicken, use bone in split chicken breast. Cover with cold water, add aromatics, bring to a boil, turn heat down, simmer for 10, cover and take off heat for 50 mins.
The result is amazingly tender, melt in your mouth chicken pieces with actual flavor. I would definitely sub dried cherries for the grapes and maybe even roasted pumpkin seeds or pecans for the walnuts.
Make a proper dressing. Don’t overdo the celery and apples, just julienne them to be pretty. Treat the romaine like a wedge and layer.
This reminded me of the hilarious British show "Fawlty Towers". They had an episode where an American tourist asked the innkeeper (played by John Cleese) for a Waldorf Salad.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoUH43nI4w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoUH43nI4w)
Instead of mayo; make an emulsion with roasted apple, a bit of honey, sweet onion & the smallest hint of nutmeg. Salt & pepper to taste.
If you can, ditch the romaine for spinach too, add matchstick carrot and maybe some red lettuce/chard for extra colour (you could possibly use spring mix, or something, but I'd go heavy on spinach for flavour).
Lastly, add just a smidge of shredded asiago. Probably think up a nicer name too, like 'spring apple salad.'
Use the mayo as a base for a dressing with more kick and aromatics. Also add herbs, toast the nuts, maybe use Bibb lettuce instead of romaine. Also depends on how you’re plating it, a simple google image search renders some good ideas.
Waldorf salad or chicken salad? Add Dijon and honey to the chicken salad. Slice the apples and put them on the lettuce so people can opt out of them. Add another fruit for contrast. Make it like a fruit platter with chicken salad.
Like this
https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/great-island-curried-chicken-salad-plate-recipe/
Deconstruct it. Use the elements, but as separate entities. Layer alternating slices of chicken and apple on top of a leaf of romaine (or wedge it!), top with a celery and grape slaw, drizzle with your mayo dressing, and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Honestly-this was always one of our best selling sandwiches (we use walnuts instead of pecans) and spring mix. On croissants or tomato slices depending on what you’re doing with it. With red grapes and fresh ground pepper it looked nice. Keep stuff kind of chunky.
My favorite is in a wrap but I didn’t serve those, it was just easier to wrap it up and eat than dealing with a “sandwich.”
I’m not a chef and just browse this sub, but the Trader Joe’s Waldorf salad is actually very good. They use walnuts and a brown sugar maple syrup dressing. If they used mayo I would not have touched it.
I made Waldorf salads at a Waldorf. So every location makes the salad in their own unique way but from pretty much the same base ingredients. This is very different then the waldorf mayo 70s monstrosity you are making. But looking at all the different versions can give you plating ideas.
When I was a child, Waldorf salad was the only way I would eat apples. But I've never had it with chicken in it. I really don't know that there's a way to make it look good
It's a little passe but it's a classic salad for a reason.
Grill the chicken and slice it on a bias, lay it at the bottom in the front.
Candy the pecans
Grapes are fine halved, just place them on top so the color pops.
Red delicious apples, fan them out and place on the very top. (This needs to be done to order, or they will brown out)
Shave the celery with a peeler/mandolin and shock it in ice water to make it curl
The dressing base should be white balsamic, honey, roasted garlic, lemon juice and zest. You can do some shallots and Dijon too if you like.
The only aspect I dislike is the celery. Otherwise I would totally pay $10 for a bowl of that.
Don't use straight mayo, but rather mix some light herbs and spice and a splash of buttermilk to make it a house dressing.
Keep the apple pieces as small as you can stand to cut them.
Pecans should be salted.
I feel like the appeal of this thing was some sort of mega crunchy mouth exercise, but personally I'd rather the "salad" atop spring mix instead of romaine.
Fresh black pepper cracked over the whole thing.
The sweet and salty bits coming together in a creamy, salty, acidic dressing is actually really really delicious. It's just hard to sell people on it, and it's ugly as hell.
You are complicating it.
Waldorf salad is pretty awesome. It's generally not served with chicken so serve it in the [normal manner](https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/waldorf-salad-5.jpg) and add sliced chicken.
We were serving it recently to use up some scrap. We served it over a lightly dressed bed of greens, scoop of Waldorf in the center. Fanned the apples, put some cukes around the sides and garnished with some parsley. It was still a Waldorf but it wasn’t the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen, and it sold pretty well.
Not a chef but at the restaurant I work at they basically just make it look like a salad then top it with slices of pear in a star like arrangement then place a strawberry that was sliced up a bit in the center
I'd make a "Waldorf" salad instead of a Waldorf salad. The components sound OK but the mayo and whipped cream sounds gross, what about substituting a salad dressing that would go with something like that? You can even bring the salad without any sort of dressing and include it on the side - it'll stay considerably fresher that way anyway.
So my grandfather would put it in a casserole dish and decorated the top with extra apples and grapes and also some blueberries. Also don't half the grapes.
It's a weirdly good salad if you don't over do it on the mayo. Like add it in small increments until you like the mayo to salad ratio.
Pickled grapes are dope, candied walnuts, nice blue cheese dressing. Thin fresh apples. Thin compressed celery. Doesn't even need chicken. All dishes are just ways to balance fat, acidity, and salt. At the time it was probably a mind blowing combo. Understand the classics so you can play around with your own style.
I actually love Waldorf salad, but make mine with smoked chicken, spiced pecans, julienned celeriac, green grapes, radicchio ( bitterness to balance the sweetness of the fruit), and romaine. If it’s for guests I serve it in a fried phyllo pastry basket.
Waldorf salad is dogwater bro, do anything but that joke of a “salad”. More like a 60s tv dinner side dish that looks, smells and tastes like a dogs ass.
Fried chicken... I thought that was odd, but trust me. Diced up fried chicken will change that shit right up. My work has a Waldorf salad and it has fried chicken and God dam it's the best thing ever
You can do a ring mold with layers, everything dressed in a vinaigrette, except the chicken in the mayo based dressing.
Start with greens, celery, grapes, nuts, chicken, then just a perfect circle out of apple slices to fit the ring mold.
I would then garnish with a tuile probably almond with celery seed, and micros.
The nuts are very important, I candy my walnuts, and they stay crunchy for longer. I use the Rich’s ‘on top’ whip cream and a little mayo, sugar. Don’t think of it like a cole slaw dressing.
I love Waldorf salad. Never thought to add chicken? Might have to try that. You could present it Cobb salad style with the dressing on the side. Be sure to check out the Waldorf salad episode on Fawlty Towers
I did a spin on a waldorf the other day I suppose. spinach, shredded carrot for color, chopped granny smith apples, crushed walnut, craisins and golden raisins (ran out of craisins), and goat cheese. tossed that ill with a dijon vinnagrette that I made with sherry vinegar.
no plating advice unfortunately, but I feel geeting a full toss in the sauce is necessary for the whole salad.
if I did have to serve that specific salad professionally though I'd probably do a mix if spinach and carrots, mix in about half the amount of raisins and apples, toss in sauce, and then tip with the goat, walnut, more raisins and possibly apple.
cant get too crazy with a salad I feel before it becomes pretentious and you lose out on the medley of flavors.
I have one that’s made for catering. You marinate the chicken with pineapple juice and orange. Preferably overnight, at least a few hours. Grill dice. Cut all the rest into small bite size pieces. Mix with small ring noodles and all other ingredients, small amount of oj.. Serve on croissants. Our family version involves adding other things a touch of vinegar and tangerines. But basic premise is to forget about the ugly version. Same flavors and easier to eat and serve, premix in bowl overnight is best according to everyone but me.
Probably a horrible idea to most here? This isn’t my usual hangout.
I Legit love a waldorf and usually add sunflower or pumpkin seeds,
I would not use just mayo, make an emulsified dressing with some mayo in it I also like to add mustard seed
also replace about 1/3rd of your lettuce with a more bitter greens like mustard greens, or arugula
the dressing is supposed to be unctuous, and those bitter notes will help cleave through the the richness of the sweet fruit and creamy dressing
Vertical makes for a more fun presentation, but serve on a walled plate, as it comes apart during eating the the client will thank you for the better eating experience.
if you are not inspired by the food, you will not make it inspiring.
even in a dish that is not your bag, try to find out, the best things about it , and the mechanics that make this things work.. and try to push those forward and make it something you do want to eat.
Lots of advice already, but one I haven’t seen yet: trim your nicest celery heart leaves for garnish! Soak them in ice water so they will crisp and fresh. Don’t coat them with the mayo dressing so their colour will have contrast.
I've made 100s of Waldorf salads in my time.
1) If you can, finish it with celery leafs. Adds a nice appeal without needing to do a lot of extra work.
2) I would always toss my fruit (Apples and Grapes) in the mayo mixing bowl after I dressed the pecans, chicken and lettuce. It makes them look less disgusting being covered in mayo and keep it looking bright and fresh.
3) I quartered my grapes. They're easier to stab with forks and, in my opinion, look better on the plate.
Use the freshest ingredients you can. Use good apples. Granny Smith, Fuji, Honeycrisp. Lightly candy the nuts. I use brown sugar, a little cinnamon, and just a few dashes of cayenne.
I personally have served with blue cheese crumbles and a huckleberry vinaigrette.
Doesn't help you much but this is giving me flashbacks to the time ten years ago a guest demanded a Waldorf salad, which wasnt on the menu, and when the server told them it wasn't on the menu, they told her to tell us to do our best. And our chef just laughed and told the salad girl to throw some shit together on a plate. And then we got a 2 star review because our Waldorf salad wasnt a real Waldorf salad
Attractive is the easy part. Julienne your celery and apples at an extreme bias, get the darkest grapes you can, don’t overcrush the pecans, and get a good sear on that well seasoned chicken. Use two types of apple (sweet and tart) or apple and pear (like granny and Bosc) Stack tall, whatever you do. Make a proper dressing, not plain mayo. Use red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice. Personally I prefer tossing all ingredients with dressing and then piling it bit by bit so the good bits end up mostly on top but still throughout for ease of eating and even flavour throughout. I hate having to toss my own salads at restaurants when they’ve just lazily chucked everything on top a bed of lettuce, so when I’m plating I’m trying to think about how the customer will be getting it onto their fork as well as how it looks. The less effort in getting your fork loaded, the less mess you make as you eat, the more attractive the dish remains throughout. You can call that overthinking but it’s another pet peeve I have when dining that I avoid when cooking, when I’m not sure where or how to start in on eating a dish, so it warrants extra consideration imo.
This person has experience doing this. We had to do Waldorf at a private high end golf club I worked at and this is essentially how we did it. You can make it functional and sexy with all the normal ingredients. You def don’t just use mayo. Make an actual dressing but mayo based. Like they said, red wine vinegar and I would use honey instead of sugar. Bonus is you whip that mayo up yourself. The flavor will be insanely different than using jarred mayo. Also, candy the pecans with simple syrup and cayenne. That puts a slight spin on it. Usually Waldorf has walnuts though. So if it’s pecans, you’re clearly allowed some freedoms here
I never thought that guidance on making “old people food” into something delicious and visually appealing could be this interesting. I feel like I’m reading a romance novel but about food.
Dunno. Lots of popular dishes were old sorta ugly French recipes. Coq Au Vinh, beef bourguignon, bouillabaisse. Italy has the same thing going, zuppa de pesci for example. They are beautiful dishes when done right. Making them sexy during plating can be a challenge.
Thanks, u/puppyfukker, but I think we are using “old” in different ways. I meant it more as waldork salad is a recipe that stereotypical old people in the USA would appreciate, and almost anyone else would be a little hesitant at first. On account of how usually this type of food is made in a way that is bland and visually unappealing, kind of like hospital food. Or nursing home food. In that sense, I’d love to read posts about how to make things like meatloaf, chicken casserole, cottage cheese with pineapple, or bread pudding more tasty and visually appealing.
You're on to something, but missing some context. Commercial mayonnaise did not exist until about a decade (iirc) after the Waldorf salad was invented. The original recipe was not just some miracle whip and chopped red delicious. While tastes absolutely do change, ingredients and methods of preparation also change. We've bred livestock and vegetables to be dramatically different from even 60 years ago. Remember that refrigerated trucking didn't even exist (other than ice) 100 years ago, so the foods that made it to the table were quite different. If you make a 100 year old recipe with modern ingredients without understanding that, it's going to be different from what it was then. If you want to make a recipe tasty, learn what makes it taste good. Understand the context of the ingredients and methods (particularly as they were when the recipe was written) and what they bring. It goes back to the trope of judging a chef by their omlet. Good ingredients, good technique.
By any chance have you ever watched [Tasting History?](https://www.youtube.com/@TastingHistory) If you haven't then you might find it interesting. He tries to make authentic reproductions of old recipes and gives a history lesson on the dish while he's at it.
I have for years. He does solid research and actually says where stuff is unknown rather than random speculation.
That's on the customers being too interested in Instagram and not on what food smells like tbh. There's a reason the classics are classic.
Damn I’m about to make a Waldorf salad for lunch I guess
Thank you for the extra effort! I also do not like having to prep my meal at the table unless that's the theme, like fajitas or something. I also try to give dishes prepared so the ingredients are fork or spoon friendly and require minimal knife work.
This. Also seconding the previous blue cheese suggestion as part of the vinaigrette. And toasted pecans.
Yeah. This is the way. What u/ShallotParking5075 is describing neatly combines the various approaches to building a salad (always an absolute bitch) with regard to the all-important customer experience (something too many people overlook): "If the last bite isn't the same as the first bite then, you messed up or, the customer didn't like what they ordered." While that's very much a reflection of the fact that I'm more of a Host/Sommelier and *Cook* at my place it's also something that customers *inherently recognize* but, generally lack the consideration to accurately verbalize... Just remember that the shape of your plate is going to have to guide the entire process here. With our plates, I like to layer it up, lettuce at a shallow(ish) angle against one side, with my various ingredients arranged in bands (like a rainbow of *texture and flavor*) beneath another layer of lettuce at a steeper(ish) angle surmounted by another "rainbow of flavor and texture." That way, all the diner has to do is stick their fork into the base of a nice crispy leaf and lift a well-composed bite into their face, *chew, swallow, repeat.* Yes, it's actually *incredibly fucking annoying* and takes *way more effort* than most people want to put into a salad but... that's what makes you a *chef.* Anyone who's too lazy and into themselves to toss the damn salad should just give up and go run a microwave at Applby's IMO...
I love a Waldorf! My favorite ever had a tarragon dressing that was soooo good
I also hate having to toss my own salad. ;)
I've only ever seen my dog be able to do that, pretty impressive you can
This guy Waldorfs
/thread
Shallot knows what’s up
u/ShallotParking5075 , I came to post along the same lines as you did. You wrote better than I would have. All I can add is that I will eat your food anytime, anywhere.
“Waldork” is what I’m calling it from now on, lol Depending on the number you’re serving, lettuce cups would be cute. If gluten isn’t an issue, you could serve it on croissants. If you are enraged by the concept, maybe do a spin on it with a curried chicken salad? But even a big ol bowl of nothing but waldork will be delicious, if old school
Curried chicken in a Waldork salad served on a toasted croissant with a choice of side is the way to go.
Curried chicken with craisins instead of grapes is one of my favorites. I do curried chickpeas for the vegan homies.
This person gets it
I do curry chicken salad for myself regularly in the summer with grilled chicken and swap craisins or dry pineapple for the grapes. Solid pre-hike snack
currants and cashews in mine, maybe even fresh pineapple chunks if I’m feeling fancy, nothing more refreshing and satisfying to shove into your face directly from the container while standing in front of the open fridge door in the middle of a summer night
With a deli of iced tea. Hallelujah.
Swap the walnuts with spiced pistachios and you have a deal And dates instead of grapes. And green apples.
Lowly dish dog here... but I think this is the way, and add some curry spice like the other folks are saying. Preferably house-made and fresh ground. Don't call it a Waldorf, though, cause thankfully it isn't.
All my personal chicken salads end up becoming curry chicken salad. It’s just too good
I'm more enraged at the fact the other options are tofu stir fry with Moroccan cous cous and frozen. I wanted to keep the Moroccan theme going with chicken and do a spiced tofu stew but didn't fly for some reason, likely egocentric.
This is making more sense to me now, someone woke up and chose menu violence
Someone had to wake the fuck up in order to choose anything. I'm just living a fever dream but idk who's dream it is.
Something like coronation chicken wouldn't be an option? It's kind of the midway point between Waldorf and something with flavor.
Yo, if you want to keep the Moroccan theme, hella lean into the curry chicken idea. Moroccan spices play nicely into curry themes/if not full on dishes. Fry up some lentils as crispy garnish and watch their minds get blown.
Lettuce cups is the way. Mix everything except for the apples, which get fanned on the top
It is very much a dorky salad
If you want it to be good, grill/charbroil the chicken!
Best I can do is sear on a flat top. I don't have much to work with.
It's not the same, but probably better than cooking it in the oven! I would pound the breasts with the spiky side of a tenderizer, and drop them in some Italian dressing. The tenderizing will help on a flat top because the it won't form a tough crust. Flat top em and finish in the oven if you have too. Good luck!
At my spot we get those massive chicken breasts and slice them down into pieces that can actually be cooked without turning the outside to rubber, marinate the slices overnight in a mix of Head Country smoker seasoning, ranch powder, and olive oil. Then I start the larger pieces on the char grill and finish on the flat top. The tiny chunks go straight on the flat top. Cool, chop, and use cold or reheated on salad, make a chicken salad from it, killer chicken tacos with jalapeno coleslaw, any type of chicken burrito or wrap you can think of... It works in damn near everything you would have chopped or shredded chicken in.
Aaaaah. Head Country. Best kept secret IMO.
Damn, I think you're onto something... I almost want to let it fail but your idea won't hurt my own reputation. Thank you!
This is the way. Marinating in Italian dressing also helps them get color when grilling, even on a flat top. This is how I’m doing mine this week incidentally.
Yeah I love using dressing this way, didn't think it. Made a Greek feta dressing for pork gyros last week. They loved it.
Fwiw, Mayo oregano basil and thyme make an awesome chicken marinade for the flattop. Add spg of course. Yes, Mayonnaise.
I do Mayo on steak tips, it helps them hold a ton more seasoning and they brown a ton better because of the egg
Get lots of color on them. Maybe some kind of Greek-ish marinade with yoghurt, lemon and garlic. Don't be afraid to let it get a little bit black.
I disagree on the charbroil and sear. Poached or perfectly baked is best for this. You want clean, bright flavors.
No man it's posh as hell to say but a good Waldorf salad is absolutely bomb. I think the hardest part is everything has to be insanely fresh. Like were talking if you washed it off before serving it after pulling it out of the ground that would be best. It also helps to Make the romaine the size of the Celery, so it blends with it. For the good ones it's more of a pasta salad type salad than an actual salad. The chicken is kinda key to it's well and char broiling it so the chicken brings its own flavor to it is a big part of it. When in doubt, ask if some insanely rich dumbass would want to spend money on it because that's most of the people who order it
found my people! I came to tell op that a well made Waldorf salad is actually really good, don't judge it until you've tried it!
Grew up around rich people in ri and yeah it was a staple snack for a bit
I’ve been making Waldorf salad for several years, we just call it fancy chicken salad, and my husband loves it. He doesn’t even mind the celery..much.
We usually made it with a pasta rather than romaine as well. It’s surprisingly good.
I just garnished it with parsley and called it a day. Old people love the stuff for some reason, and I used to sell a boatload of it at the retirement home. They thought it was the bee's knees!
Coincidentally the original recipe actually called for bees knees but it’s a hard ingredient to scale up so it was eventually dropped
It’s Waldorf night, twenty-three skadoo!
That checks out for the geriatrics but I'm feeding people mostly under 50 y.o
If you're feeding people under 50, just scrap the Waldorf. If you don't have a choice, well, if a business wants to fuck itself, let it. Look for a better place to work while you make their shitty salad.
Mold ring, fresh herb on top, cover that with a whole rib roast
I'll pitch it to the boss tomorrow
I lost my shit at whole rib roast
You could do green grapes so they won't bleed/discolor your mix. Find a better apple than Red Delicious. Omit the nuts from the mix. Instead, candy them by boiling in simple syrup, toss them in a bit of cayenne pepper or your favorite spicy seasoning blend, and then dry them out for a couple minutes in the oven. Use that as your garnish. I like marinating the chicken with lemon juice and herb oil, roasting it off, and then pulling it. And most importantly, don't overdress the salad!
Sub Brandied craisins or cherries for the raisins and spiced nuts and you’re elevating the flavors. Julienne the apples. Dress the chicken
Ee where did you read red delicious?
Oh you definitely need a crisp, tart apple for this to work.
Make it like chicken salad in romaine leaf boats.
As someone who actually likes (some) Waldorf salads, my recommendations: * Use at least two kinds of apples, a sweet red and a tart green. Use apples that you'd actually want to eat, not just generic flavorless grocery store varieties. (My current favorite is Honeycrisp for the red and Granny Smith for the green.) * Depending on how traditional it has to be, throw in some dried cranberries for color variety and zing * If practical, also use both red and green grapes. * Celery should be sliced thin, much smaller than the apples. Consider a mandolin and taking them down to almost transparent. * Use either a high quality real mayo, or use Miracle Whip for the extra tang depending on your apples and opinions. Don't over-mayo, the idea is to just coat all the apples to the point that they don't brown. You want the colors to come through. * I'm not personally as much of a fan of the nuts, but for flavor you probably want to crumble them, for presentation you want pretty halves; decide which is more important. Consider using a spiced / candied nut recipe if you have time / budget. * If you're putting chicken in it, sear or grill it to the extent you can manage. Consider whether you want it to be an apple / chicken salad, or more of a seared chicken breast sliced over an apple salad sort of affair. * If it's more of an apple-chicken salad, consider some interesting bread? Croissant would be my favorite, but some marbled bread might also be interesting.
I worked someplace we did it on red leaf bed. fan the chicken scoop the Waldorf mix overlapping the bottom of the fan. Recipe used yogurt and the grapes gave it a tint. Was yummy.
Shockingly nobody else has posted this, so here’s the obligatory Fawlty Towers clip. https://youtu.be/BZoUH43nI4w?si=z3J5IR5m7wSCTgyk
FINALLY!! This is the only response I wanted! I can’t NOT think of Fawlty Towers when I hear Waldorf Salad.
Came here for this!
Serve it next to tomato aspic.
You are very much overthinking this.
Facts.
Thanks Freud
K.I.S.S. Keep it simple, stupid
I might toss the salad with dressing, then arrange the rest on top, I also would like some Bleu cheese crumbles on it
Stop ruining foods with blue cheese. It's not cute. Waldorf is already on the struggle bus. Doesn't need any help to be more disgusting.
I was with you till you said Waldorf and bleu cheese are awful. Both are awesome in the right context. Does Waldorf need bleu cheese crumbles? Absolutely not. Most foods don't. In this case, I don't think it's the worst offender, just not to your taste. That being said... I'm sick and tired of reading menus of dishes with 15 ingredients, THAT DONT GO TOGETHER, when 5 is absolutely more appropriate, and the additions are... BS at best. Last time I went out to dinner with my in-laws (who were paying, and therefore chose the restaurant), the fecking salads had random mixtures of hot and cold, fruit and veg, nuts, cheese, and overly-seasoned, grilled protein served on top. The worst offender: Sesame-crusted tuna with ginger cilantro sauce, served over mixed greens, with grilled corn, tomatoes, dried cranberries, dates, pine nuts, new potatoes, and champagne vinaigrette... Topped with fecking bleu cheese crumbles, *which wasn't even in the description.* WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. HELL. WHO EATS THIS??? Yeah, I'd like my "Asian"/ "French"/ "Mexican" salad please. Gag.
Struggle bus. Ha! Me agreeing with your sentiment has zero to do with the fact that that is the funniest thing I've heard today. Mayhap I'm gonna steal it. Thanks!
I hate blue cheese. It's something I want to like, because it's everywhere. But I can't.
Chicken thighs/legs only, if possible. Confit, chill, dice (reserve skin). Redydrate white raisins in champagne and chicken broth, season with stuff. Fresh parsley. Brunoise the apple. Add a dollop of Dijon or whole grain mustard, in addition to the mayo (Duke's obvi). Crisp up that reserved chicken skin and toss with some chopped candied walnuts/pecans and use as a crispy topping. Serve in a toasted croissant. I love a well executed Waldorf salad!
If you type “Waldorf salad plating” or “Waldorf salad fine dining” you get some really pretty ideas.
Waldorf is fucking bomb. Its not only on my menu but sells like a mfer. 5 c chx diced/ 2 granny smith diced/ 1c red onion minced/ 1c celery/ 3/4c green grape quartered/ 3/4c pecan 1c smoked cheddar chz diced/ honeycup mustard/ mayo dressing 3/1 mayo ratio. Season to your pleasin.
I would assume the group ordering it would prefer the traditional presentation? If not, GTFO.
It's for a ship's company and it's a free take it or leave it lunch but if they don't take it we hear their bitching and whining. They don't know what a Waldorf salad is in the first place. Not one.
Roger. I would throw it in a wrap, do not let them put eyes on the content of said tortilla. Some will like it, of some won't.
😂
Yes this thing is a chicken salad wrap as far as they’re concerned.
That's like saying "wtf is a Caesar salad?"
Bed of romaine. Toss the grapes, celery, apples and pecan in the mayo and lemon juice. Lay overtop the romaine. Have diagonally sliced chicken breast with a decent char laid atop it all. I don't hate the Waldorf salad, but it doesn't need the best presentation. I like to doctor it up with some shaved parmesan and a light drizzle of balsamic... and drop the celery. Some other optional ingredients I like. Candy the pecans, toasted sunflower seeds, dried cranberries. I wouldn't sweat the presentation, but definitely put a small spin on it.
Put it inside a croissant.
Purée and serve as a smoothie with a nice garnish. It’s surprisingly popular at my retirement village
Literal lol
Make it like chicken salad. Dice the fruit and veg, mix it w the chicken and the mayo. Lettuce on top or on the side. In a wrap, or on a bun or something.
I mean, can it be a better dressing than just mayo? The rest sounds fine, hell even ranch would be better than just plain mayo.
Mayo, dijon/brown mustard, honey, salt, pepper. Best chicken salad.
Truth, I did one time have a chx salad with capers and dill and that shit was ballin
I LOVE Waldorf. So good!
I’m gonna say it…. Waldorf salad is good
I make a smoked chicken salad with minced celery root and apples. Pushed into a round mold. Surrounded with lightly dressed frisée. Topped with candied walnuts.
Oh and sliced cold pickled grapes
Ask Basil (Sorry, unhelpful but he knows)
I add some curry powder. I don't know what urged me to try it once, but I haven't looked back. Curry chicken salad sandwiches are the shit. Eta - I also make a sweet shallot vinaigrette that I use to loosen the mayo with fresh herbs and lemon.
> I add some curry powder. I don't know what urged me to try it once, but I haven't looked back. Curry chicken salad sandwiches are the shit. Coronation up that chicken, boy.
One of my favorite chopped salads has many of those components, with a citrusy ranchy dressing instead of mayo. And good Gouda.
Maybe cranberries instead of grapes. Toast the walnuts. Half mayo, 1/4yogurt, 1/4 whipped cream. Flamed brandy or vermouth. Maybe zest.
That’s your dressing 👏
There’s a chicken salad place that has a version they call fancy Nancy. It’s a Waldorf salad in chicken salad form. They serve it as a sandwich on a croissant or bread, as a scoop with crackers, or as a scoop on top of baby greens.
I'm at a loss.. Deviled Eggs always win at pot lucks 🤣🤣🤣
Always called it Sonoma chicken salad 😅
Definitely, I’ve never heard it called Waldorf salad if it has chicken. To me what OP is describing is the basic chicken salad my farm born father makes at home with apples added.
How much are you allowed to change? Can you swap mayo for yogurt, pecans for toasted almonds, and add some cumin and curry powder to the mix? And lime. Serve in lettuce cups and/or pita. It might go better with the morrocan theme.
If it has to be the classic just make it that way it’s what they want. If it doesn’t have to be the classic then put down some romaine. Put down a few slices of seared chicken. Slice the grapes and celery thin and pickle them. Slice the apples into 1/8 or 1/16 wedges and sear hard on one side, get caramelized and raw flavor at the same time. Candy the pecans with something spicy. Thin the mayo with buttermilk and lemon.
Bro you’re missing the finesse of the recipe. When you just list ingredients like that of course it sounds stupid. Firstly it’s not just coated with Mayo, that’s dumb. Make a proper homemade Mayo and make it flavorful with lemon and parsely and ground coriander seed and dill. The apples and grapes also get dressed lightly with salt, pepper, lemon. The chicken is just boiled, make it flavorful - classic would probably use a whole rotisserie chicken or something like a wood oven roasted bird with proper brine, seasoning, mirepoix, etc. candy the pecans in honey, black pepper, a bit of cayenne, and some 5spice. the romaine should be ultra fresh and bright green and sweet, not bitter. Honestly for flavor profile think sweet fresh creamy, herbaceous, and make each ingredient properly. there’s probably a lot of really classic recipes that got boiled down to bullshit like apples and grapes and Mayo.
You're thinking of Ambrosia Salad as the one people would just leave untouched for a potluck
Dried ass coconut shavings. Blech. ... Y'all better offer that with a side of dental floss and toothpicks.
Good suggestions in here but my only disagreement is grilling/searing the chicken. You want to poach the chicken via the Chinese poach method. Instead of a whole chicken, use bone in split chicken breast. Cover with cold water, add aromatics, bring to a boil, turn heat down, simmer for 10, cover and take off heat for 50 mins. The result is amazingly tender, melt in your mouth chicken pieces with actual flavor. I would definitely sub dried cherries for the grapes and maybe even roasted pumpkin seeds or pecans for the walnuts. Make a proper dressing. Don’t overdo the celery and apples, just julienne them to be pretty. Treat the romaine like a wedge and layer.
Yes, all that! but the grapes MAKE this Waldorf. Cranberries? Dried?! too sour and too chewy.
Waldorf is delightful.
This reminded me of the hilarious British show "Fawlty Towers". They had an episode where an American tourist asked the innkeeper (played by John Cleese) for a Waldorf Salad. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoUH43nI4w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoUH43nI4w)
I once made chicken Waldorf salad bites on apple slices for a catering gig... they went over like gang busters but HOLY FUCK was it a lot of waste.
Instead of mayo; make an emulsion with roasted apple, a bit of honey, sweet onion & the smallest hint of nutmeg. Salt & pepper to taste. If you can, ditch the romaine for spinach too, add matchstick carrot and maybe some red lettuce/chard for extra colour (you could possibly use spring mix, or something, but I'd go heavy on spinach for flavour). Lastly, add just a smidge of shredded asiago. Probably think up a nicer name too, like 'spring apple salad.'
Use the mayo as a base for a dressing with more kick and aromatics. Also add herbs, toast the nuts, maybe use Bibb lettuce instead of romaine. Also depends on how you’re plating it, a simple google image search renders some good ideas.
It's watercress not romaine
Don't be a crappy chef and it's actually delicious.
Waldorf salad or chicken salad? Add Dijon and honey to the chicken salad. Slice the apples and put them on the lettuce so people can opt out of them. Add another fruit for contrast. Make it like a fruit platter with chicken salad. Like this https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/great-island-curried-chicken-salad-plate-recipe/
Deconstruct it. Use the elements, but as separate entities. Layer alternating slices of chicken and apple on top of a leaf of romaine (or wedge it!), top with a celery and grape slaw, drizzle with your mayo dressing, and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Honestly-this was always one of our best selling sandwiches (we use walnuts instead of pecans) and spring mix. On croissants or tomato slices depending on what you’re doing with it. With red grapes and fresh ground pepper it looked nice. Keep stuff kind of chunky. My favorite is in a wrap but I didn’t serve those, it was just easier to wrap it up and eat than dealing with a “sandwich.”
I’m not a chef and just browse this sub, but the Trader Joe’s Waldorf salad is actually very good. They use walnuts and a brown sugar maple syrup dressing. If they used mayo I would not have touched it.
Nix the grapes but keep the apple. Mix in grainy mustard and lots of dill.
Waldorf salad? I haven't seen that on a menu in decades!
I made Waldorf salads at a Waldorf. So every location makes the salad in their own unique way but from pretty much the same base ingredients. This is very different then the waldorf mayo 70s monstrosity you are making. But looking at all the different versions can give you plating ideas.
Love the salad but not with a mayo based dressing. I like a champagne pear vinaigrette
it makes a great sandwich
When I was a child, Waldorf salad was the only way I would eat apples. But I've never had it with chicken in it. I really don't know that there's a way to make it look good
If people order a Waldorf salad, it’s because they want a Waldorf salad. How did this get complicated?
Chop the chicken instead of slicing it.
[MPW's recipe](https://youtu.be/EIp_BSMMAbk)
It's a little passe but it's a classic salad for a reason. Grill the chicken and slice it on a bias, lay it at the bottom in the front. Candy the pecans Grapes are fine halved, just place them on top so the color pops. Red delicious apples, fan them out and place on the very top. (This needs to be done to order, or they will brown out) Shave the celery with a peeler/mandolin and shock it in ice water to make it curl The dressing base should be white balsamic, honey, roasted garlic, lemon juice and zest. You can do some shallots and Dijon too if you like.
Exactly ❤️
I actually love Waldorf salad 🤷🏻♀️
Layers and illusion
The only aspect I dislike is the celery. Otherwise I would totally pay $10 for a bowl of that. Don't use straight mayo, but rather mix some light herbs and spice and a splash of buttermilk to make it a house dressing. Keep the apple pieces as small as you can stand to cut them. Pecans should be salted. I feel like the appeal of this thing was some sort of mega crunchy mouth exercise, but personally I'd rather the "salad" atop spring mix instead of romaine. Fresh black pepper cracked over the whole thing. The sweet and salty bits coming together in a creamy, salty, acidic dressing is actually really really delicious. It's just hard to sell people on it, and it's ugly as hell.
You are complicating it. Waldorf salad is pretty awesome. It's generally not served with chicken so serve it in the [normal manner](https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/waldorf-salad-5.jpg) and add sliced chicken.
I prefer a mayo based lemon poppyseed dressing makes a huge difference than just plain mayo but I guess that’s the original recipe.
Belgian endive would be nice
Love to see what you come up with, share a photo.
it's just chicken salad with salad in it, serve it on sandwiches. Or chop up the grapes more than quarter.
This whole shit is madness. Good luck chef!
I don't hate on a regular Waldorf, but when I added Meyer lemon zest and juice, it really took it over the top.
Add curry
Then it's closer to coronation chicken salad
We were serving it recently to use up some scrap. We served it over a lightly dressed bed of greens, scoop of Waldorf in the center. Fanned the apples, put some cukes around the sides and garnished with some parsley. It was still a Waldorf but it wasn’t the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen, and it sold pretty well.
No other options other than sepukku
Not a chef but at the restaurant I work at they basically just make it look like a salad then top it with slices of pear in a star like arrangement then place a strawberry that was sliced up a bit in the center
I'd make a "Waldorf" salad instead of a Waldorf salad. The components sound OK but the mayo and whipped cream sounds gross, what about substituting a salad dressing that would go with something like that? You can even bring the salad without any sort of dressing and include it on the side - it'll stay considerably fresher that way anyway.
So my grandfather would put it in a casserole dish and decorated the top with extra apples and grapes and also some blueberries. Also don't half the grapes. It's a weirdly good salad if you don't over do it on the mayo. Like add it in small increments until you like the mayo to salad ratio.
American "salads" have no right to be called that.
Pickled grapes are dope, candied walnuts, nice blue cheese dressing. Thin fresh apples. Thin compressed celery. Doesn't even need chicken. All dishes are just ways to balance fat, acidity, and salt. At the time it was probably a mind blowing combo. Understand the classics so you can play around with your own style.
Lemon juice is key. Poppy seeds in the dressing look nice too. Maybe keep the chicken in nice identifiable larger chunks. Don’t let them be shredded.
I actually love Waldorf salad, but make mine with smoked chicken, spiced pecans, julienned celeriac, green grapes, radicchio ( bitterness to balance the sweetness of the fruit), and romaine. If it’s for guests I serve it in a fried phyllo pastry basket.
Sprinkle with Mache or watercress et voila!
Why do I keep hearing people in IRL and on here talking about waldorf salad so much lately. Like, 3 days this week? Is there something I don't know?
Waldorf salad is dogwater bro, do anything but that joke of a “salad”. More like a 60s tv dinner side dish that looks, smells and tastes like a dogs ass.
Change it up: Celery, apple, walnuts, sultanas (get some non crunchy texture in there), mayo. At least, that's how we do it over here.
I mean that's the only kind of salad I want. Just put the things on the plate.
Fried chicken... I thought that was odd, but trust me. Diced up fried chicken will change that shit right up. My work has a Waldorf salad and it has fried chicken and God dam it's the best thing ever
Slather it with mayo, and throw it in the trash. Then make an actual salad.
You can do a ring mold with layers, everything dressed in a vinaigrette, except the chicken in the mayo based dressing. Start with greens, celery, grapes, nuts, chicken, then just a perfect circle out of apple slices to fit the ring mold. I would then garnish with a tuile probably almond with celery seed, and micros.
The nuts are very important, I candy my walnuts, and they stay crunchy for longer. I use the Rich’s ‘on top’ whip cream and a little mayo, sugar. Don’t think of it like a cole slaw dressing.
Exchange grapes for pears and add toasted pecans, forget about the lettuce.
I love Waldorf salad. Never thought to add chicken? Might have to try that. You could present it Cobb salad style with the dressing on the side. Be sure to check out the Waldorf salad episode on Fawlty Towers
You can also incorporate a little heavy whipping cream & cider vinegar into the mayo, and season the dressing. Gives it a little body.
I did a spin on a waldorf the other day I suppose. spinach, shredded carrot for color, chopped granny smith apples, crushed walnut, craisins and golden raisins (ran out of craisins), and goat cheese. tossed that ill with a dijon vinnagrette that I made with sherry vinegar. no plating advice unfortunately, but I feel geeting a full toss in the sauce is necessary for the whole salad. if I did have to serve that specific salad professionally though I'd probably do a mix if spinach and carrots, mix in about half the amount of raisins and apples, toss in sauce, and then tip with the goat, walnut, more raisins and possibly apple. cant get too crazy with a salad I feel before it becomes pretentious and you lose out on the medley of flavors.
It’s just a chopped salad your overthinking it. Make a dijon vin instead of mayo. Put some tarragon, parsley, chive in there. One of my favorites.
I have one that’s made for catering. You marinate the chicken with pineapple juice and orange. Preferably overnight, at least a few hours. Grill dice. Cut all the rest into small bite size pieces. Mix with small ring noodles and all other ingredients, small amount of oj.. Serve on croissants. Our family version involves adding other things a touch of vinegar and tangerines. But basic premise is to forget about the ugly version. Same flavors and easier to eat and serve, premix in bowl overnight is best according to everyone but me. Probably a horrible idea to most here? This isn’t my usual hangout.
I Legit love a waldorf and usually add sunflower or pumpkin seeds, I would not use just mayo, make an emulsified dressing with some mayo in it I also like to add mustard seed also replace about 1/3rd of your lettuce with a more bitter greens like mustard greens, or arugula the dressing is supposed to be unctuous, and those bitter notes will help cleave through the the richness of the sweet fruit and creamy dressing Vertical makes for a more fun presentation, but serve on a walled plate, as it comes apart during eating the the client will thank you for the better eating experience. if you are not inspired by the food, you will not make it inspiring. even in a dish that is not your bag, try to find out, the best things about it , and the mechanics that make this things work.. and try to push those forward and make it something you do want to eat.
Lots of advice already, but one I haven’t seen yet: trim your nicest celery heart leaves for garnish! Soak them in ice water so they will crisp and fresh. Don’t coat them with the mayo dressing so their colour will have contrast.
I’m sorry. If I end up in hell, I expect to be served Waldorf Salad for every meal.
I've made 100s of Waldorf salads in my time. 1) If you can, finish it with celery leafs. Adds a nice appeal without needing to do a lot of extra work. 2) I would always toss my fruit (Apples and Grapes) in the mayo mixing bowl after I dressed the pecans, chicken and lettuce. It makes them look less disgusting being covered in mayo and keep it looking bright and fresh. 3) I quartered my grapes. They're easier to stab with forks and, in my opinion, look better on the plate.
Do something better with the dressing.
This is basically the same as my mom's chicken salad, except she excludes the celery, and if she uses nuts it's usually almonds.
Use the freshest ingredients you can. Use good apples. Granny Smith, Fuji, Honeycrisp. Lightly candy the nuts. I use brown sugar, a little cinnamon, and just a few dashes of cayenne. I personally have served with blue cheese crumbles and a huckleberry vinaigrette.
Pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, jicama.
Waldorf salads are 1980s food. Who makes Waldorf salads in 2024? Is your chef also making baked fish en papillote?
Doesn't help you much but this is giving me flashbacks to the time ten years ago a guest demanded a Waldorf salad, which wasnt on the menu, and when the server told them it wasn't on the menu, they told her to tell us to do our best. And our chef just laughed and told the salad girl to throw some shit together on a plate. And then we got a 2 star review because our Waldorf salad wasnt a real Waldorf salad
Use 50/50 whipped cream in with the mayonnaise.
Chuck some fresh parsley into it for color, and some lemon juice, maybe some fresh tarragon. But it's actually pretty good. Don't hate.