According to the American Century Cookbook, the first Waldorf Salad was created in New York City in 1893, by Oscar Tschirky, the matre d’htel of the Waldorf Astoria. The original recipe consisted only of diced red-skinned apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Chopped walnuts were added later to this now American classic. In the April 2005 issue of Everyday Food magazine, the classic is presented with a twist. Instead of mayonnaise, the recipe calls for plain yogurt. We couldn’t imagine how a Waldorf salad with yogurt would taste better than one with mayo, so we made them both ways and did a taste test. The conclusion?
Mayonnaise wins, hands down. In fact, the yogurt version is barely edible; it is just too tart. We considered adding sugar and olive oil, but then, what’s the point of that? If you have to add sugar or oil, you may as well just use mayonnaise to begin with.
1 red apple, cored and chopped
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, sliced (or a 1/4 cup of raisins)
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or plain yogurt if you must)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Lettuce
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayo (or yogurt) and the lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Mix in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.