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Why It Works
- Reducing the broccoli into small items shortens the fibers, making it simpler to chew.
- Letting the salad relaxation within the fridge permits the flavors to meld and the broccoli to melt barely.
Broccoli is usually handled as an afterthought—steamed subsequent to rooster and rice, shaved uncooked right into a salad, or left lurking on a crudité platter. However not right here. On this Southern salad, broccoli will get absolutely dressed up with a creamy but vivid dressing, crunchy apples, crispy bacon, plump pickled raisins, and smoked cheddar.
This basic Southern salad is a celebration of contrasting flavors and diversified textures, and Julia Levy, from our Birmingham, Alabama check kitchen, nails it together with her recipe. The dressing combines creamy crème fraîche (or bitter cream) and mayonnaise with fruity, crisp apple cider vinegar, and simply sufficient sugar so as to add noticeable, however not cloying, sweetness. The salad’s signature sweetness is tempered by savory bacon and smoky, sharp cheddar, which preserve the flavors balanced.
Whereas she’s a longtime broccoli fan, Julia is not too eager on the big uncooked items of the vegetable which are discovered in lots of broccoli salads—she finds that they are often robust, fibrous, and ugly to chew. However right here, each stems and florets are minimize into small items, making each chew crisp, recent, and simple to eat. Chopped apples add a candy, juicy crunch that enhances the broccoli and balances the richness of the cheese and bacon.
To save lots of effort and time, Julia skips the skillet and cooks the bacon on a baking sheet—no fussing over the range required. As soon as the salad is tossed with the dressing, it is chilled for at the least an hour to permit the flavors to meld and the broccoli to melt barely.
This salad delivers distinction in each chew with crisp broccoli and apples, savory bacon, smoky shredded cheddar, a sweet-and-tart creamy dressing, and a double hit of texture from toasted almonds and sunflower seeds. It is all completed with pickled golden raisins that convey simply the proper burst of tangy sweetness. Serve it alongside your cookout favorites or take pleasure in it as a straightforward make-ahead lunch.
This recipe was developed by Julia Levy; the headnote was written by Laila Ibrahim.
This Creamy Broccoli Salad With Bacon and Cheddar Is a Southern Potluck Icon
Prepare dinner Mode
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For the Pickled Raisins:
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1 cup (240 ml) apple cider vinegar
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1/2 cup (120 ml) water
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1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces; 50 g)
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1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for desk salt, use half as a lot by quantity
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1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds, elective
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1 cup raisins (6 ounces; 170 g)
For the Dressing:
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1/2 cup (120 ml) crème fraîche or bitter cream
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1/2 cup (120 ml) mayonnaise
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1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces; 100 g)
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1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
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3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for desk salt, use half as a lot by quantity
For the Salad:
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1 pound (450 g) recent broccoli, stems minimize into 1/4 to 1/2-inch items and florets minimize into 1/2-inch items (about 5 cups)
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9 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked till crispy and coarsely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups), see notes
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2 Gala apples (about 10 ounces; 283 g), cored and chopped (about 2 cups)
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4 ounces (113 g) smoked cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
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1/2 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds (about 3 ounces; 80 g)
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1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (about 2 ounces; 60 g)
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For the Pickled Raisins: In a small saucepan, mix vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and mustard seeds, if utilizing, and produce to a boil over medium-high warmth. Prepare dinner, whisking sometimes, till sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Take away from warmth.
Critical Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze
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In a medium bowl, mix raisins and sizzling vinegar combination. Permit raisins to chill to room temperature, uncovered, about half-hour. Switch raisins to hermetic container and refrigerate for at the least 1 hour or as much as 1 month.
Critical Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze
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For the Dressing: Whereas raisins cool, in a small bowl, whisk collectively crème fraîche or bitter cream, mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and salt; put aside.
Critical Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze
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For the Salad: In a big bowl, mix broccoli, bacon, apples, cheese, sunflower seeds, and almonds. Add reserved dressing and toss to coat evenly. Cowl and refrigerate till chilled, at the least 1 hour or as much as 24 hours.
Critical Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze
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When able to serve, drain raisins with a fine-mesh strainer, and toss with broccoli salad till effectively integrated. Serve.
Critical Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze
Gear
Small saucepan, fine-mesh strainer
Notes
For ease, we advocate cooking the bacon on a baking sheet, however be happy to make use of no matter technique you favor.
Make-Forward and Storage
Pickled raisins will be refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 1 month.
Salad will be refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.
