Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Pomegranate with Blue Cheese Honey Vinaigrette

I love blue cheese so much I ignore the way my lips itch when I eat it. Whisking it up with honey and coaxing it over crisp apples and Brussels sprouts turns a cheese that people are sometimes daunted by into a dressing it's hard to dislike.

The salad is especially convenient for entertaining because, unlike lettuces that wilt and wane once they're dressed, the Brussels sprouts benefit from a short soak.

—Vivian Howard, Deep Run Roots

INGREDIENTS

For the salad:
12 to 16 large Brussels sprouts
3 medium Fuji or other crisp, sweet eating apples
Juice of 1 lemon
4 radishes, cut into eighths
3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup Blue Cheese Honey Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons torn mint leaves
1/2 cup pomegranate 

Blue Cheese Honey Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup high-quality blue cheese such as Maytag, broken into crumbles
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
10 turns of the pepper mill or 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup grapeseed or sunflower oil

MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE

In a medium bowl whisk together the cheese, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper until the blue cheese is broken up and the liquid appears creamy. Then slowly whisk in the oil and set aside. Just before pouring the dressing over the salad, give it another whisk. This dressing will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Assemble the Salad

Slice the stem end off the Brussels sprouts and separate the sprouts into individual leaves. Set aside. Just before building the salad, dice the apples and toss them with the lemon juice. To the apples and the radishes, Brussels sprouts, scallion, salt and 3/4 cup vinaigrette.

Let the salad sit for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes before serving. Just before you do, top with mint, pomegranate seeds, and another drizzle of dressing.

Note: the original version from Deep Run Roots includes pomegranate seeds. Raisins have been used as a substitute in this photo.

Photos by Baxter Miller