Oak Endive Salad
“The spiciness of horseradish cuts the richness of the blue cheese dressing—all of which complements the bitter endive.”—Chef Steven Redzikowski, OAK at Fourteenth
Ingredients
Candied Walnuts
- 1 pint walnut halves
- 1 quart water
- 3 cups white sugar
Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
Salad Assembly
- 3 white endives
- 3 sprig dill (picked pieces)
- ½ cup candied walnuts (broken up by hand)
- ½ cup Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1 inch fresh horseradish (peeled)
- pinch salt
- ½ lemon (juiced)
Directions
Candied Walnuts
- Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, then turn to medium and cook for three hours. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a baking mat or parchment paper and let cool fully.
Blue Cheese Dressing
- In the blender, blend the milk and blue cheese on high until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend on low until smooth. Don’t overblend the dressing or the sauce may break. Refrigerate until use.
Salad Assembly
- Trim the bottom ½ inch off each endive, remove individual leaves and put into a mixing bowl. Season with dressing, salt, and lemon until it’s almost over-dressed. Lay out half of the endive leaves on a plate (cup side up) and sprinkle with the dill and walnuts. Lay out the rest of the endive (cup side up) on top of the garnished first layer. Using a microplane, generously grate fresh horseradish over the whole salad, and serve.