Crisp apples are at heart of perfect fall salad

MINNEAPOLIS — Some Minnesota falls are better than others. Some are more colorful, crisp and cool, while others are just cold. Then there are those “second summers” that creep deep into fall, only to be replaced by, well, winter.

This year feels like the latter, but even if the frost hasn’t covered the pumpkins yet, I’m still going to work in as many fall flavors as I can. I’ll just shift from my normal autumnal fare of hot and hearty comfort foods to something a little lighter, like a salad.

Although the summer tomato season has passed, that doesn’t mean we have to pass on salads. There are plenty of fall ingredients we can toss with a delicious dressing and some greens. One of my favorites is apples.

Here in Minnesota, we know a good apple when we sink our teeth into one. Even though we’re famous for the ever-popular Honeycrisp, this time of year, grocery store produce sections are packed with many different varieties of local apples.

First Kiss, Zestar, SweeTango and many more apple varieties are easy to find and delicious when added to a green salad.

In this week’s recipe, any one of these would be welcomed, tossed along with crisp romaine in a creamy honey-mustard dressing. Nutty cubes of Gruyère cheese are added, along with toasted hazelnuts. The result is a complex salad, packed with interesting textures and flavors.

I would serve this salad alongside any simple roasted meat or poultry.

Romaine, Apple, Hazelnut and Gruyère Salad With Creamy Honey-Mustard Dressing

Serves 4. From Meredith Deeds.

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:

8 cup chopped romaine lettuce

1 medium crisp apple, cored and thinly sliced

4 oz. cubed Gruyère

½ cup roughly chopped toasted, skinned hazelnuts

Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the cream, vinegar, whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil and set aside.

Prepare the salad: In a medium bowl, add romaine lettuce, apples and 6 tablespoons dressing. Toss to coat. Add more dressing, if desired. Transfer to serving platter or plates. Scatter the Gruyère and hazelnuts over the top.