Radicchio Salad with Roquefort, Apples and Hazelnuts

Pleasantly bitter radicchio and pungent Roquefort contribute lots of flavor to this simple wintery salad. The cooks at The Cook's Atelier, a cooking school, epicurean center and wine shop in Beaune, France, who shared this recipe with us, like to use fleur de sel, a French sea salt from the coast of Brittany, when making this and other dishes.
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
- 1 head radicchio, leaves separated and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 handful mixed baby greens
- 2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts (2 1/2 oz./75 g), toasted and coarsely chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) crumbled Roquefort cheese
Directions
To make the vinaigrette, in a large bowl, combine the shallot, red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside for 5 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil to make a vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper
Add the radicchio, mixed baby greens, apples and hazelnuts to the bowl and toss gently to coat with the vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the salad among 4 chilled plates. Crumble the cheese over the salad and serve immediately. Serves 4.
The Cook’s Atelier, Beaune, France