Fennel & Apple Salad with Juniper

Fennel and Apple Salad with Juniper

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Here is one of those incredibly simple flavor combinations that Jean-Georges revels in discovering. Serve it with grilled shrimp or smoked salmon (or eat it standing next to the refrigerator; bowl and fork in hand). If you have a mandoline, use it here.

1 fennel bulb (about 12 ounces)
1 Granny Smith apple
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
15 juniper berries

1. Trim the fennel, but keep some of the top feathery fronds for garnish. Cut the apple into quarters and core it (do not peel).

2. Cut the fennel against the grain as thinly as you can, preferably on a mandoline. Cut the apple as well into the thinnest possible slices. Toss the fennel and apple together with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Crush the juniper berries with the side of a knife and then mince. Stir them into the salad, toss, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. This recipe keeps well for up to a day; refrigerate in a covered container and bring to room temperature before garnishing and serving.)

4. Just before serving, garnish with the minced feathery fennel tops.

From:
Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef
By Jean-Georges Vongerichten
and Mark Bittman
Broadway Books
Hardcover; 288 pages; $35.00
ISBN: 0-7679-0155-X
Recipe Reprinted by permission.