This is a sophisticated take on an American classic, the Waldorf salad recipe. Tart crisp apples, piquant blue cheese, and rich, crunchy walnuts combine to create a salad with layers of flavor and texture. Slightly sweet, deliciously tangy pomegranate molasses is the key ingredient in the vinaigrette recipe, binding all of the elements in place of the traditional mayonnaise-based dressing. Tender baby spinach and crisp endive amp up the fresh factor of this hearty salad.

Ingredients

• 4 apples such as Granny Smith, Gala, or Fuji, cored and cut into 1⁄2-inch dice
• 2 ounces baby spinach
• 2 large heads of Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1-1⁄2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1⁄2 pound blue cheese such as Maytag, crumbled (2 cups)
• Pomegranate Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1  Combine the apples, spinach, endive, walnuts, and blue cheese in a large bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette
(makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey, or more to taste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions
1  Whisk together the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, mustard, and honey in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. The dressing can be made 2 days in advance and stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator.

Serves 6 to 8.

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Excerpted from Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain Cookbook by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson Copyright © 2011 by Boy Meets Grill, Inc. Photographs Copyright © 2011 by Ben Fink. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved.