Endive Salad with Candied Walnuts, Orange Caramel Dressing and Blue Cheese

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings
  • Total: 35 min
  • Active: 20 min
You can use a lot of oranges for this recipe: Minneolas, tangerines, navels. You can also use tangerines if you prefer — whatever looks best at the supermarket. This is fun because you candy the nuts and clean the caramel off the pan by using it to make a tasty dressing. The sweetness is so good with the walnuts and bitter greens. Use endive, chicory, escarole, radicchio or whatever other bitter greens are good. Want to be dairy-free? Simply omit the blue cheese.
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Ingredients

3/4 cup walnut halves

Kosher salt or flaky sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 large oranges, 1 juiced (about 1/4 cup) and 1 peeled and supremed

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large yellow endives, leaves separated

1 small head radicchio, leaves separated

3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

10 to 12 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, stemmed

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Arrange the walnuts on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the center of the oven. Toast until the nuts are golden brown, really toasted, 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
  3. Spray a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with nonstick spray. In a large saute pan, heat the sugar over medium heat until it melts and turns a light amber color, 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the walnuts in a single layer over the caramel. Spray a rubber spatula with nonstick spray and stir the nuts, quickly but carefully, to coat with the caramel. Transfer the nuts from the pan onto the prepared baking sheet, sprinkling the nuts so they separate as they land on the parchment. Season with salt.
  4. To the pan with the residual caramel, add the vinegar and orange juice. Warm the pan, whisking until the caramel, vinegar and orange juice are well combined. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the mustard and oil. Adjust the seasoning.
  5. Arrange the endive and radicchio leaves in a single layer on a family-style large platter. Intersperse the orange segments and walnuts with the endive and radicchio. Season with salt to taste. Drizzle with all of the dressing. Top with the blue cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.

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Diana W.

Had high hopes! For me the dressing was way too 'mustardy' and I have better recipes for the candied walnuts. I used canned mandarin oranges and those were the best part of the salad.

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