Apple Salad

This is one of our mainstay side dishes. Sometimes a meal just needs a little taste of fruit. This "little taste of fruit" is somewhat substantial because it includes both nuts and raisins. It's very simple, and very tasty. On the subject of apples: we prefer to use McIntosh in season. As the fall progresses, we just try to choose Macs carefully. What works best is a tart-sweet, solid-flesh variety of apple. Pink Lady is a good alternative. This salad really rounds out a meal such as the Mediterranean String Bean Stew, with its cinnamon accent.

Ingredients

1		Apple(s)One apple goes a long way.
1	tbsp	HoneyScant
1	tbsp	Lemon JuiceScant, freshly squeezed
¼	cup	Raisins, BlackWell packed
¼	cup	WalnutsCoarsely chopped
1	tbsp	Mayonnaise

Directions

1	This is quick and easy to prepare. First, gather the ingredients together close by.
2	Cut a wedge of lemon, about one eighth of a medium-size lemon.
3	Quarter the apple; remove the core from each quarter. (I recommend leaving the skin on the apple, both for taste and color.) Slice each quarter lengthwise in three slices. Then slice each of those pieces crosswise in scant quarter-inch slices. Place all these little chunks in a smallish bowl.
4	Immediately squeeze lemon juice over the chunks and mix briefly and gently.
5	Add the honey, and again mix very briefly and gently, so that the honey is somewhat incorporated.
6	Add the raisins and nuts.
7	At this point, leave the salad until it's just about time to serve. I recommend serving most salads at room temperature.
8	Just before serving, add the mayonnaise, and mix just until it is incorporated. I've found that overmixing ruins this combination because the apple chunks release their juice and then the juice just sits on the bottom of the bowl. It's much better to mix the combination very briefly so that the sauce adheres to the apples, giving them a very nice, just slightly piquant flavor. A few times I've added a hint of ground cinammon for a little different flavor.