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    The Original Waldorf
    1 bite · 2 chews

    The Original Waldorf

    A one-inch apple-celery cube bound in mayonnaise, finished the original way — no walnut

    Oscar Tschirky's 1893 creation — apples, celery, mayonnaise; the walnut came later

    Why this bite? Oscar of the Waldorf invented the Waldorf Salad in 1893 — apples, celery, mayo. No walnuts. This is the pure original.

    The Story

    When the Waldorf opened in 1893, maître d'hôtel Oscar Tschirky composed a salad of crisp red apples, celery, and mayonnaise — nothing more. The walnut that everyone now expects was a later addition by other hands. This bite returns to Oscar's original: clean, cool, deceptively simple, a reminder that the most enduring classics are often the most restrained. The dish that made a hotel a household word, served the way it began.

    Prep: 15 minYield: 12 pieces

    Ingredients

    • Red-skinned apples
    • Celery heart
    • Mayonnaise
    • Lemon juice
    • Butter lettuce
    • Cracked white pepper

    Preparation

    1. 1.Dice apple and celery into precise one-inch matchstick cubes.
    2. 2.Toss with lemon to keep bright, fold in mayonnaise.
    3. 3.Set each cube on a butter-lettuce square.
    4. 4.Finish with cracked white pepper.