Waldorf Salad with Dried Cherries

This is a very easy and simple salad with my take on the original Waldorf Astoria Salad which has a long rich history. The original Waldorf Astoria Salad was created in the 1890s at New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel by maître d' Oscar Tschirky. The original salad contained only mayonnaise, red apples and celery, and was usually served on a bed of lettuce. In later years as is today, it is generally served with walnuts and other ingredients. Mayonnaise, red apples, celery, and walnuts is the way I remember my mother making her Waldorf Salad. In this recipe, I have combined a tart Granny Smith apple with a sweet Gala apple, and for that additional tart and sweet taste, I added dried cherries and toasted walnuts. From the days of my childhood, the recipe may have changed, but not the taste of the crispness of the apples, celery and walnuts mix together with that wonderful mayonnaise dressing.

Waldorf Salad with Dried Cherries

4 cup dried tart cherries
11/2 cup boiling water
2 cups mayonnaise
2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons honey
3 Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 Gala apples, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 cups very thinly sliced celery
2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted

Soak cherries in 1 cup boiling water until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain.
Whisk mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add apples, celery, and cherries; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Add walnuts and mix lightly.

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