Fall ingredients make hearty, satisfying salads.
Fall is a wonderful time for fresh produce and no dish celebrates vibrant vegetables and fruits like a salad. You can easily capture the character of autumn by using a few iconic fall flavors, tying them all together with a simple dressing and adding a beautiful garnish or two. So when September arrives, remember: there's no reason to weep over the lack of fresh tomatoes, asparagus or corn, when there are so many delicious fall flavors to look forward to.
Apple
Perhaps nothing else embodies the coming of autumn like apples. If autumn apple-picking is a favorite hobby of yours, you may find yourself with too many on your hands and you can only make so many pies. An apple's natural crispness and affinity for cheese make it a fantastic addition to any salad. Try this combination: baby spinach, slices of apple, cheddar or gorgonzola cheese, walnuts and a honey vinaigrette.
Belgian Endive
Belgian endive is available beginning in mid-fall, and its tangy, slightly bitter spear-shaped leaves are a perfect base for a hearty salad. White endive with yellow tips is often mixed with a red-leaf lettuce such as radicchio and a green-leaf lettuce, such as romaine or arugula, to create what is called a "tricolore" or three-color salad, often served with a balsamic vinaigrette and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Endive's bitter flavor goes extremely well with earthy beets and fresh cheeses, like goat cheese and feta.
Pomegranate
Many people shy away from fresh pomegranates because they are a pain to deal with; the seeds tend to break easily and the juice stains everything from skin to shirts to countertops. However, the health benefits and the deep, tangy flavor make the messy pomegranate worth considering. Pomegranate seeds are a fantastic addition to salads, as their crunchy texture mimics that of croutons or pinenuts. Pomegranate juice can be used to make a fabulous fall dressing when mixed with olive oil and a bit of red wine vinaigrette.
Pear
While pears can be found in supermarkets year-round, they are at their peak from late summer through early winter. Pears, like apples, are fruits that match well with many types of cheese, especially blue cheese, and nuts such as hazelnuts and pecans, which make them a perfect addition for salads involving these ingredients. Try an arugula salad with sliced pears, pecans and a creamy blue cheese dressing.
Figs
With different varieties available at different times through fall and winter, figs are ubiquitous in cold-weather recipes and their rich, luscious flavor gives weight and sweetness to autumn salads. Figs can be quickly grilled to bring out a wonderful caramelized flavor and then added to the top of a watercress, prosciutto and crouton salad lightly tossed with a zesty lemon or tangy Dijon vinaigrette.
Tags: addition salads, blue cheese, fall flavors, fantastic addition, lettuce such, like apples