Even though at Flour we are surrounded by food all day long, it’s not unusual to see someone at lunch unpack a container filled with leftovers from his or her previous night’s dinner. As much as we all love Flour food, there are only so many days a week that you can eat soup and sandwiches before you start wanting something new and different.
Nicole, our executive pastry chef, brought this salad to work one day and shared a bit with Chef Corey. He went crazy for it and begged Nicole for the recipe. As with most recipes that get shared around Flour, it went through some tweaking before Corey offered his version as a dinner special. At that point, I tried it and went crazy for it and begged him for the recipe. This is a combination of Nicole’s original and Chef Corey’s variation. Nicole uses hickory nuts rather than hazelnuts, so if you can find them, use them.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp Champagne vinegar
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
- ¼ cup (60 ml) hazelnut oil
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup (75 g) raw hazelnuts
- ¼ cup/60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 medium head fennel, leafy tops trimmed
- 2 medium Gala apples, cored and unpeeled
- 1 small celery root, peeled
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (15 g) minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 0.12 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 oz (55 g) pecorino or other dry, firm cheese, shaved into thin slices with the mandoline or a vegetable peeler
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To make the vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and garlic until combined. Whisking continuously, slowly drizzle in the hazelnut oil and olive oil and whisk until the oils are thoroughly blended and the dressing is well combined. Whisk in the salt. The dressing can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Before using, bring back to room temperature and rewhisk to combine all of the ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, and place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Put the hazelnuts on the baking sheet and toast in the oven, shaking the pan once or twice for even toasting, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the nuts are light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Pour the lemon juice into a large bowl. Using the mandoline, shave the fennel bulb into paperthin slices. Add the sliced fennel to the bowl and toss to coat with the lemon juice. Repeat with the apples and celery root, add to the bowl, and toss to coat with the lemon juice. Then add the celery and shallots, toss again, and sprinkle with the parsley, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to coat thoroughly. Divide the salad equally among four bowls and top with the hazelnuts and pecorino. Serve immediately.
