Waldorf Salad: The Classic New York Recipe

The Story Behind the Recipe

• Waldorf Salad was created for a charity ball held on March 14, 1893, at the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York, to benefit St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital. The hotel itself had opened the day before, on March 13, 1893.
• Oscar Tschirky, the maître d’hôtel at the Waldorf Astoria, invented the Waldorf Salad recipe. He loved creating dishes in his spare time and even wrote and published his own cookbook in 1896: “The Cook Book by Oscar of the Waldorf”.
• The original recipe was simply julienned apples and celery dressed with mayonnaise. In 1928, the “Rector Cook Book” adapted the recipe by adding walnuts for crunch. A delicious touch!
• Waldorf Salad inspired countless variations, with chicken, dried fruit, grapes, and dressings made with yogurt or balsamic vinegar. We recommend trying the original version first.
• One more fact: when the Waldorf Astoria was part of the Hilton chain, its restaurant served over 20,000 Waldorf Salads per year.

Ingredients for 4 Servings

• 1 head of lettuce.
• 2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith.
• 2 celery stalks.
• 1 egg yolk.
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar.
• 1 tablespoon mustard.
• 200 ml (0.8 cup) sunflower oil.
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar.
• 120 g walnut pieces.
• Salt and pepper.

Steps

• 1/ Lightly toast the walnut pieces over low heat for a few minutes. This brings out their flavor and removes any bitterness.

• 2/ Make the mayonnaise. In a bowl, combine the egg yolk, a dab of mustard, salt, pepper, and white vinegar. Whisk while adding the oil slowly. Tip: make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.

• 3/ Cut the apples and celery stalks into thin julienne. You can cut them into small cubes if you prefer, but julienne holds the dressing better and looks more elegant on the plate.

• 4/ Pour the mayonnaise into a bowl and add the white wine vinegar. Mix well.

• 5/ Add the julienned apples and celery and coat thoroughly with the mayonnaise.

• 6/ Arrange some lettuce on the plate, place the apple and celery julienne on top, and sprinkle with walnut pieces. Enjoy!

Share Your Salad

• Feel free to contact me if you’d like to share a recipe or tell me about your cooking adventures. Email: patricia@cnewyork

Waldorf Salad was created in 1893 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel. (Photo Kaman)