Oh, baby. I ordered this salad at Yianni’s in Chatham, New York, a couple of weeks ago, and it was so un-frickin’-believably delicious that I couldn’t wait to make a similar version at home.
The salad contains some of the best stuff on earth: tender “spring” greens, crisp apples, red onion, tart cranberries, tangy goat cheese, shimmering orange-ginger vinaigrette, and a sweet crown of pumpkin bread croutons.
And by the way, the aforementioned vinaigrette is so fresh and wonderful you’ll be tempted to drink it right from the mixing bowl. You might like to use it on other salads, too.
Shall we assemble this autumn perfection?
First, make some pumpkin bread. My mother’s version is both easy and delicious. And I’m not biased. Not at all. Here’s the recipe.
Cut the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices (you needn’t use an entire loaf, unless you want to), and then cut the slices into 1-inch or slightly smaller cubes. Lay the cubes out on a baking sheet, and bake in a moderate oven (350°F) until crisp on the outside, but still moist and soft on the inside — about 20 minutes. Let cool.
Then make the vinaigrette. Put some white wine vinegar in a yellow bowl…
And add some orange zest. I hope you have a micro-zesting gadget.
Then add the juice of half an orange (from the orange you just zested).
Also add some freshly-grated ginger (you can use your handy microplane zester for the job)…
And some kosher salt, freshly-ground pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Now swing your hips, and whisk everything together.
Next, core the apple of your choice…
And cut it in half. Then cut the halves in half, to make quarters. If you wish, you can cut the quarters in half to make eighths.
And this, my friend, is how fractions should be taught in school: With real food!
To keep the apples from browning, drop them into the bowl of vinaigrette, and toss to coat. They can rest there while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Peel half a small red onion (red, for both taste and color)…
And cut it into thin strips.
Crumble up some tangy goat cheese, too.
Are you a fan of goat cheese? You can let me know by leaving a comment.
Now grab 2 plates, and top them with a big handful of fresh, organic “spring” greens.
Divide the apples and onions between the plates, arranging them atop the greens in some artistic fashion (or not).
Add some dried cranberries (use as many as you like — I added more after this photo was taken)…
And some clouds of goat cheese (Chevre).
Then drizzle the works with the orange-ginger vinaigrette.
For the final flourish, add your oven-crisped pumpkin bread croutons!
This really is a lovely salad, and with lots of different tastes, textures, and colors going on. Serve it for lunch, or as a first-course for dinner.
Enjoy this recipe? Get my email updates. And don’t forget to leave a comment below!
Here’s the printable:
My favorite salad for November. I think you'll love it, too!
Ingredients
- Homemade Pumpkin Bread, sliced and cubed
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon finely-grated orange zest
- The juice of half an orange (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon finely-grated ginger
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 apple, cored and cut into quarters (or eighths)
- Mixed "spring" greens -- a handful for each serving
- 1 small, red onion, chopped into thin strips
- Dried cranberries -- a small handful for each serving
- 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled or chopped
Instructions
- Center oven rack; preheat oven to 350°F. Scatter the cubes of pumpkin bread on a baking sheet. Bake until crisp on the outside -- about 20 minutes.Let cool. Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, add the vinegar, orange zest and juice, ginger, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Whisk to combine. Lay the apple wedges in the bowl, and toss to coat.
- Divide the salad greens between 2 plates. Top with the apples, onions, cranberries, and goat cheese. Drizzle vinaigrette over all, and finish with a handful of pumpkin bread croutons.
Note: You can never have too many pumpkin bread croutons. They are perfect for midnight munching!
More good eats from Kevin’s Kitchen:
Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Rustic Apple Cake
Perfect Peach Pie
Ann Manning says
Thanks Kevin, all I need to do now is toast up my pumpkin bread cubes ,and make the dressing. Lunch is going to be soooooooooo good.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Ann – We will have the same lunch today. Enjoy!
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
I am still harvesting my own lettuce which will make this colorful salad especially delicious ‘(Waldmann’s Dark Green’ and ‘Crisp Mint’ heirloom Lettuces). Red onions are always on hand, too. Curiously, we have a Yianni’s Restaurant a few miles from us.
As for Goat Cheese, we have two favorite types. One is definitely Chèvre and one is more like Feta. The Feta is purchased in large blocks, many at a time, and frozen because the store is far away and we don’t get there too often. Freezing makes the Feta break apart easily later, exactly the texture needed. We use Goat Cheese in salads, baked with our figs or tomatoes/garlic on rustic bread, as a garnish for Gazpacho, melted on top of fried Polenta, I could go on and on. In a Paris cafe, I was served breaded and fried disks of Chèvre on a bed of greens, mouth wateringly delicious, despite a fellow diner’s ominous German Shepherd lying on the floor inches away. It was a cloudy, windy, frigid February day in the City of Lights and this meal stands out clearly in my memory.
My Zester/Microplane is a favorite tool. We put Lemon Zest into CousCous and Rice and put Orange Zest into baked Sweet Potatoes. Thanks for this great idea to use up the bounty of fall apples. Once again, your photos ROCK!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Beverly – My first trip to Paris was in February, 1999. Bitterly cold then, and no heat in our 18th-century hotel in the Marais district. But the food. Oh, the food.
Colette Sicotte says
Ça va être bon!!!!!!
Catharine R. says
I love all the ingredients in this salad. Will make your mother’s pumpkin bread today, and save a loaf just for the croutons!
Marie says
I think the salad would be great even without the croutons! And yes, I love goat cheese!
Brooklyn Bob says
Who knew that apples and onions made a great marriage? Well, I guess you did. Making the salad today, with apples from the farmers’ market.
Deb Stover says
Goat cheese is the best cheese. This recipe looks marvelous. I will have to make the pumpkin bread gluten free for my daughter (Celiac). Now…tell me how to deal with the sulfites in dried cranberries. Some fruits can be found dried and “unsulphured” but I have yet to find cranberries. I am allergic to sulfites. Woe is me. And nitrates!!!!
Sandy M says
Oh Keven!
How Lovely! And my Mom just brought me 2 loaves of pumpkin bread!! And we just picked the last of the apples from the orchard. You know what…i’ll try this with persimmons, too. My tree is loaded. Would you like me to send you persimmons? They are the Fuyu variety. Just let me know, I’d be happy to share with you since you are always sharing with me!
Love, Sandy
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Sandy M – Thank you for the kind offer. But please save the persimmons for yourself, and let me know how they work out in this salad! (Yummy, I suspect.)
Arden Rembert Brink says
I had a dish once at the New York Yacht Club with goat cheese that I absolutely *hated* and it turned me off of goat cheese for years. Then, ironically, when we lived in Costa Rica and all decent cheese was wildly expensive, one of our occasional indulgences became buying a “tube” of chevre from PriceSmart (their version of Costco) and it was really SO good. Made me a real goat cheese fan again.
This salad looks delish! Will have to make it this week. (Although guess I need to go to Costco first for the cheese.) 😉
Peter says
For Deb Stover: I’ll bet you could substitute organic, unsalted sliced almonds or coarsely chopped walnuts for the dried cranberries. The salad won’t be as pretty as Kevin’s, but at least you’ll be able to eat it.
Arden Rembert Brink says
Another suggestion for Deb Stover — you can make your own dried cranberries. Google it and you’ll find tons of “recipes” and bloggers’ experiences. Now that it’s cranberry season, I think I might try it just to be able to control the “type” and quantity of sweetening. Lots of very different methods out there — might have to try some different versions.
Ardelle says
Kevin, a wonderful blend of tastes and textures – in season produce as well. Since I am not particularly fond of goat cheese I will substitute locally made FRESH Feta cheese. Hopefully I will be able to harvest some greens from my garden yet for this lovely salad for Thanksgiving dinner – I will be covering it to protect it. To Deb Stover – please check dried cranberries from the organic section which usually do not have harmful sulfites and also not overly sweetened – you can find these cranberries if you look and ask for them from the market manager.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone – I really look forward to all the comments to Kevin’s delightful column each week.
BTW, my petunias, ivy geraniums, and ‘everyday’ geraniums are absolutely gorgeous – profusely blooming – they greet me every morning with a blaze of color! Our growing season is over 4 weeks longer in the past decade – Hmmmm?
Catharine R. says
Kevin, I made the salad for lunch today (sans croutons!) and it is OMG delicious! Thank you for sharing, I would never have thought to combine those ingredients!
ingmarie peck says
This I have to try, looks amazing.. Thank you Kevin.
Julie B says
We’re just back from a week plus of eating our way thought the Bordeaux region where the cheeses, including wonderful chevres, spoiled me for life in regard to anything we can obtain here. Yes, I LOVE Chevre but will probably have to switch to locally sourced Chevres to get anything near that quality -and that’s not a bad thing, except in terms of convenience.
Marianne says
Ugh! I hate goat cheese and also Brie. I can see this salad with blue cheese would be rather tasty. I made your butternut squash recipe last night and it was relish on our pasta. Thanks, Kevin.
LynnB says
Delicious salad. I’m not a fan of orange flavoured dressings and sauces so I used pomegranate syrup instead. Wonderful.
Mary W says
ADORE goat cheese!
Nancy W says
This salad looks amazing, I’m adding it to our Thanksgiving table!
lisa williams says
Thanksgiving salad!!!!! This looks amazing ….you had me at pumpkin croutons.
MEGAN BLACK says
I just use cranberries I have purchased fresh and frozen some at the time. Chopped a bit and then add to lots of dishes- salads, muffins, chicken dishes, and on and on. They are yummy and I don’t have to try to find special dried ones without the oil, etc on them. THanks, Kevin, for another tasty treat!
Joy says
For those not a fan of big chunks of onion (red or otherwise) like some members of this family,
sliver the onion in finer bits, soak in ice water for five minutes, pat dry, and, voila! The ice bath makes the onion less sharp.
Celia says
Kevin, not sure if this warrants a comment, as it is accurate in the actual print recipe, but I suppose there may be other silly folks like me who can’t help but re-read the delightful colorful commentary with corresponding playful photos while re-creating your yummy dish. Thus… Under the photo of tipping olive oil the text references S&P only, sans oil.
Can’t wait to make this asap, sounds delish!
Janet Metzger says
I can’t do THIS salad, but you have given my ideas of what I CAN pull together. THANK YOU!
Janet
Molly says
Love goat cheese……and goats. Salad looks fabulous!
Susan Kalia says
Kevin, I made the pumpkin bread and received high accolades from my husband. Between us, we devoured the first loaf in one day – scrumptious! Then I froze the other loaf so we wouldn’t devour it the next day! The apple salad is wonderful, although I couldn’t make the croutons due to all my pumpkin bread now being frozen! We loved the ingredients together, and especially the vinaigrette with the orange juice and zest. My first time trying out my new zester, the same one you recommend! Thank for 2 winning recipes. Susan
Julie R says
I LOVE salads and this one looks like the perfect blend of fruits and veggies. I like your idea to use pumpkin bread as croutons for the salad. Thanks for the great idea.
Louise says
LOVE the croutons – I added a bunch of candied ginger and cut back the sugar 1/4 and those little ginger bits explode! I love your site! Thank you for sharing all of your fabulousness!
Ana says
I thought I was the only one who made special breads only to be used as croutons!
I sometimes make a cornbread but it is very spicy -cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, etc. probably somewhat similar to your bread-I can’t wait to try yours. And thank you Beverly (above) for the tip about freezing feta. I did not know that would work. I am becoming more vegetarian and I can’t wait to try this.
gabby frascinella says
Removing the pith from the center of the oranges looks tedious. But I bet the tip of the apple corer shown next to the cored apple would work out fine. In fact, it looks perfect. Yes??
Jeanne says
Made this for my 9 international college students and they were all blown away.. Each of them loved it and went on & on about what were all the different flavors.. They thought it must be an “every day” kind of American recipe.. I won’t tell them differently.. I introduced them to your site and I bet it will now be visited by them & their families from all over Europe.