Waldorf Astoria is a famous hotel located in Manhattan between 49th and 50th Streets and Park Avenue. Only honored guests stay there, who literally plunge into the atmosphere of prestige and power, slowly sipping expensive drinks and admiring the masterpieces of decorative art that adorn the salons and foyers of this magnificent building.
And while the guests of the mentioned hotel enjoy unusual dishes prepared by the best chefs especially for them, they do not get tired of being amazed and surprised by the culinary perfection and art of service. Indeed, it is behind the scenes (that is, in the kitchen) that the professional team does everything possible and impossible so that every moment of your stay at the hotel leaves an unforgettable impression on customers.
General information
Waldorf salad is an incredibly tasty, delicate and light dish that was first cooked at the named hotel (in 1896). It is worth noting that it is served to hotel guests to this day. Of course, since then the recipe has changed somewhat, but the salad from this has only become better and tastier.
Many housewives, having heard about such a culinary creation as the Waldorf salad, begin to doubt whether they will be able to prepare their own refined treats for the festive table. After all, most people believe that if it was served in an expensive American hotel, then it contains outlandish ingredients that are quite difficult to find in Russian stores, and even at an affordable price. But this is a misconception, as Waldorf (chicken salad) is an easy-to-cook dish that requires the use of inexpensive and affordable ingredients. And so that you can see for yourself, we decided to bring to your attention a step-by-step way of creating it.
American Waldorf salad: recipe
To make such a delicate, tasty and light dish, we need to purchase a small amount of the following products:
- a large sweet and sour apple - 1 pc.;
- celery (it is advisable to purchase only the stems) - 2 pcs.;
- frozen or chilled chicken fillet - 300 g;
- freshly squeezed lemon juice - add to taste (about 2 dessert spoons);
- peeled walnuts - average handful;
- pine nuts - a small handful;
- dried cranberries - to decorate the finished dish;
- lettuce or Korean cabbage - to decorate the finished dish;
- small table salt and allspice, ground - add at your own discretion;
- red grapes are not very large - 90 g (can be replaced with black seedless raisins);
- maximum fat mayonnaise or thick sour cream - add to taste (so that the dish is not too dry).
Meat processing
Initially, the Waldorf salad was prepared in the famous American hotel without the addition of meat ingredient. But after some time, the chef of the hotel of the same name considered that such a dish is too easy for guests. To make it more satisfying, but still tender, the culinary experts decided to add dietetic and healthy white poultry. And in this they were not mistaken. Indeed, such a component really makes the Waldorf salad more nutritious, but no less tasty.
To prepare the chicken fillet, you should thoroughly wash it, and then put it in a salty boiling liquid, remove the resulting foam with a slotted spoon, close it tightly and cook for 35-45 minutes until fully cooked. After the specified time, the meat product must be removed, cooled in cold air, and then remove the skin and bones and cut the fillet into small pieces. If desired, the meat can be divided along the fibers.
Nut preparation
As a rule, Waldorf salad includes only walnuts. But for greater benefit and unusual taste, we decided to use the nucleoli of cedar cones. Both of these ingredients should be washed well, and then put in a pan and fry a little. Further, it is recommended to crush the nuts into large chips, using a mortar or an ordinary rolling pin.
Fruit and vegetable processing
In addition to poultry and roasted nuts, the Waldorf salad, the recipe of which we are considering, also includes such important components as celery stalks and sweet and sour apple. The mentioned products should be washed well and then peeled. Next, the ingredients must be chopped into thin and small pieces.
To give the salad an unusual taste and appearance, it is also recommended to add fresh red grapes (preferably seedless) to it, which should be thoroughly washed, slightly dried, and then cut each berry in half. If you could not get such a product, then large black raisins are quite suitable instead. But before adding dried fruit to the dish, it is necessary to sort it out, scald it with boiling water and let it stand for about half an hour. Over time, the raisins must be rinsed in a sieve and allowed to dry.
The process of forming a dish
As you can see, Waldorf salad does not include overseas and expensive products. Therefore, it can be cooked not only by the best chefs of America, but also by ordinary housewives who absolutely do not possess culinary skills.
After all the components for the dish have been prepared, you can immediately begin to form it. To do this, you need to take a large enameled bowl and put the following products in it: shredded celery stalks, sweet and sour apple, boiled chicken breasts, sliced grapes, fried walnuts and pine nuts. Further, all the components must be mixed, seasoned with freshly squeezed lemon juice, ground allspice and high-calorie mayonnaise (you can sour cream and even yogurt). After this, the finished salad should be placed in the refrigerator and kept in it for no more than 20 minutes. After this time, the dish must be laid out on a large flat plate, which is recommended to line in advance with leaves of Korean cabbage or green salad.
How to serve to the festive table?
Ready-made Waldorf salad (the recipe was described in detail above) should be presented to guests on a shared dish before serving the main hot lunch. By the way, for a richer taste and presentable appearance, it is recommended to sprinkle such a culinary masterpiece with dried cranberries or barberries. Once you try this unusual and very tasty dish, you will make it more and more. Indeed, in terms of taste and ease of preparation, such a salad is many times superior to other culinary creations.
Helpful advice
In the process of cooking, do not be afraid to fantasize. Indeed, many famous dishes became much tastier and more satisfying precisely because the chefs tried to improve them in every possible way. As for the presented salad, very often the housewives do not limit themselves to such basic ingredients as chicken, nuts and celery, adding new ingredients. So, a very tasty and juicy result is a similar dish using canned pineapples. Perhaps someone will try to add pickled peach or fresh orange ... Believe me, no one can refuse such an unusual salad.