Recipe: Apple-wild rice salad with blue cheese and Calvados dressing

Total time: 25 minutes plus 30 minutes chilling

Servings: 6 to 8

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup plus 2 to 4 tablespoons Calvados (or applejack)

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup walnut oil

1/2 cup peanut oil

1 large Granny Smith apple

2 cups cooked wild rice

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped fine

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled Maytag blue cheese

1. Simmer the cranberries in one-half cup Calvados in a small saucepan over low heat until all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside.

2. Place the egg yolk in a blender and add the salt, lemon juice, vinegar and mustard. Process until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons Calvados and process briefly. With the motor running on low speed, slowly drizzle in the walnut and peanut oils. Add the remaining Calvados to taste. Chill at least 30 minutes.

3. Peel and core the apple. Cut into half-inch dice. As you chop them, toss them in a bowl with about one-half cup of the dressing to keep them from discoloring.

4. Add the wild rice, pecans and cranberries and toss to combine, adding more dressing as needed. Stir in the blue cheese and serve.

Each of 8 servings: 453 calories; 5 grams protein; 33 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 30 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 35 mg. cholesterol; 339 mg. sodium.