Shaved Apple, Fennel & Arugula Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A sweet-and-spicy summer salad built the way a New Orleans grande-dame dining room would serve it, but with a home-kitchen shortcut: crisp shaved fennel and apple, peppery arugula, a blackberry vinaigrette you mash and whisk right in the serving bowl, and honey-cayenne granola standing in for fussy candied nuts. Cold chèvre melts into the dressing as you toss.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plain or lightly sweetened granola (nut-heavy, no dried fruit)
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 3/4 cup fresh blackberries, divided
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Creole or whole-grain mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 large fennel bulb, fronds reserved
• 1 large crisp sweet-tart apple, such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 5 oz baby arugula (about 6 packed cups)
• 4 oz chèvre (fresh goat cheese), well chilled
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, toss the granola with the honey, olive oil, cayenne and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt until every cluster is coated. Spread on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once at the halfway point, until fragrant and a shade darker. Slide the parchment onto the counter and let cool completely; it crisps as it cools.
2. Make the vinaigrette in the bottom of your large serving bowl: add 1/3 cup of the blackberries and crush them to a rough pulp with a fork or the back of a spoon. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard, honey, minced shallot, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and the black pepper, then let it sit 5 minutes so the shallot softens.
3. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the 1/4 cup olive oil in a thin stream until the dressing looks glossy and slightly thickened. Taste and adjust with a pinch more salt or a few drops of vinegar. Leave it in the bowl and set two salad servers across the top so the greens sit above the dressing until you toss.
4. Trim the fennel: cut off the stalks (save a small handful of feathery fronds), halve the bulb lengthwise, and cut out the tough core triangle. Shave the halves crosswise into paper-thin slices on a mandoline set to about 1/16 inch, or with your sharpest knife. Drop the shavings into a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes to curl and crisp them, then drain and pat very dry.
5. Quarter and core the apple and shave it into thin half-moons, skin on, the same thickness as the fennel. Toss immediately with the lemon juice to keep the slices bright.
6. Pile the arugula, drained fennel and apple into the serving bowl on top of the vinaigrette. Add the remaining blackberries, halved if large, and toss gently with your hands or salad servers just until every leaf is lightly coated, about 20 seconds. Do not overwork it or the arugula will wilt.
7. Divide among four plates or serve family-style. Pinch the chilled chèvre into rough dime-sized nuggets over the top, scatter with the spiced granola, tear over the reserved fennel fronds, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve right away, while the granola is still crunchy.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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