Southern Pecan & Apple Salad

Jamie Oliver

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Ingredients

Olive oil		A couple of handfuls of mixed leaves, such as arugula and radicchio, washed and spun dry
2 tablespoons butter		Zest and juice of 1 orange, for dressing
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar		1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, for dressing
Scant 1 cup pecan halves		1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, for dressing
2 red or green apples		3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, for dressing
2 heads Belgian endive, leaves removed, washed and spun dry		Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Total:

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1
Lightly run a sheet pan with some olive oil and put to one side. Put a large saucepan on a low heat and add your butter and sugar. Leave on a gentle simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally to stop it catching, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture starts to darken. Gently stir in your pecans until they’re well coated in caramel syrup. Be careful not to splash yourself, and don’t be tempted to have a taste because hot caramel can burn quite badly. Once coated, tip the nuts onto the oiled pan and use the back of a spoon to separate them out into one layer. Leave them to cool so the caramel can harden on the nuts.
2
Meanwhile, make your dressing. Put your orange zest and juice, Dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar into a large salad bowl and add a good lug of extra virgin olive oil. Whisk them, then have a taste – you want to get a nice balance between the sharpness of the vinegar and the smoothness of the oil, so add a little more oil if needed, then season carefully with salt and pepper.
3
Core, quarter, and thinly slice your apples and add to the bowl with all your leaves. Break the cooled pecans apart, add half of them to the bowl, and use your hands to delicately toss and dress everything. Serve on one big platter, or divide up between plates, and finish by crumbling over the rest of your beautiful caramel pecans.

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