This is a perfect salad to round out your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. Juicy roasted grapes combine with cauliflower (Romanesco if you can find it), the slight bitterness of endive, and the crunch of toasted hazelnuts. Thinly sliced parmesan adds umami at the end. Serve this salad at room temperature, you can make it several hours ahead. At the last minute combine with the dressing and shave over the parmesan with a Y-peeler.

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Ingredients:

• I head of regular or Romanesco cauliflower
• 1 bunch of seedless green or muscat grapes (the red ones would be nice with regular cauliflower), about 3 cups – mostly separate them but leave one or two in small clusters
• 2 heads of endive
• parmesan – shaved
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped if whole
• olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of grainy mustard
• 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon honey

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 435 degrees F or 220 degrees C
2. Separate the cauliflower into florets, on a baking sheet toss them with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. On a separate baking sheet, toss the grapes with a bit more oil, salt and pepper
4. Roast both sheets until the cauliflower is golden the the grapes are blistered, about 30 minutes. Let them cool a bit before assembling the salad.
5. While they are roasting, make the cider vinaigrette. In a bowl or jar, whisk (or shake) the mustard, vinegar, honey and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Separate the endive and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces
7. Toss the roasted cauliflower, grapes, and endive with the dressing. Scatter in a bowl or platter. Arrange the grape clusters around the platter. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and shave the parmesan on top.

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

This recipe came from the cookbook Salad Freak by Jess Damuck. I think I have earmarked more recipes in this book than any on my shelves.

This works well with regular cauliflower, in that case use red grapes . It was garnished with pomegranate seeds (for extra color) and pickled mustard seeds. Instead of parmesan, I shave sharp white cheddar on top.

Celebration Salad

Celebration Salad

You can find out how to make the pickled mustard seeds here. They make a great gift and keep almost forever in the fridge.

This will be my contribution to the Fiesta Friday virtual blogging party. It’s Fiesta Friday #511 hosted by Angie and Co-hosted by  Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook