As I continue to research old department store tea rooms this year, every now and again I learn about a dish that sounds so scrumptious I simply have to try it! That was the case with this salad recipe from Hudson's in Detroit. Earlier this year tea friend Phyllis in Michigan recalled that Hudson's was known for its Maurice Salad. I recently made a couple of these for me and my husband, and I can definitely see why this was a favorite at Hudson's. This would be a great "supper salad" now that hot weather is here (maybe not in Detroit, but definitely in Georgia!).
Several things I should mention about this salad. First, see this nice creamy dressing dripping down the shredded lettuce? It is key to the taste of this salad but calls for an ingredient I'd never heard of before: onion juice. Turns out you can indeed find onion juice online, but my local grocery store doesn't carry it. (If yours does, please let me know. I'm curious if this is a regional ingredient!) I learned, however, that it's easy to acquire your own onion juice. You simply cut off the root end of the onion and scrape it with the back of a spoon. The juice will easily dribble down, along with some of the pulp, and it worked terrific in this recipe.
I got the Boar's Head ham and turkey from the deli and cut the meats into strips when I got home. The Swiss cheese was pre-sliced.
Although I wanted to make this recipe as authentically as possible, I did take one liberty. The Maurice Salad recipes I found online all called for "slivers" of sweet Gherkin pickles, but when I found Gherkin miniatures at the grocery store, I thought they would be prettier. Also, I learned that the salad is to be accented with two olives. Just two. Not three, four or five. Two. Don't go overboard.And now, here's the recipe for Maurice Salad as I prepared mine. If you make it, I'd love to know what you think!
Hudson's Maurice Salad
Dressing:
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons onion juice
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons prepared Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 hardboiled egg, diced
Salt to taste
Salad:
8 ounces ham, cut into strips
8 ounces turkey breast, cut into strips
8 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into strips
1/2 cup miniature Gherkin pickles
1 head Iceberg lettuce, shredded
8-12 green olives with pimientos
Combine vinegar, lemon juice, onion juice, sugar and mustards and mix well. Add remaining dressing ingredients and blend. Divide lettuce among plates and top with strips of ham, turkey and cheese. Add pickles and garnish each salad with 2 olives. Top with dressing. Yields 4 meal-size salads or 6 smaller salads.
I'm taking dinner to a family this evening. The wife mentioned that she prefers salads for supper during the summer so this is what I'm going to take. I'll let you know how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteWow how interesting..this looks very good thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting recipe. My immediate thought was that it looks like an upscale version of a chef salad, also topped with ham, turkey and cheese.
ReplyDeleteAre you finding in your research that department store tearooms were not the afternoon tea type, but a quaint place for ladies to lunch?
I visited with a friend in Dallas about 12 years ago and she took me to the S and S tearoom for lunch. She described it as a place where "old ladies go for lunch." Perhaps, I didn't qualify in the age group back then, but I do now! Anyway, it was an enjoyable lunch place for soups, salads and typical southern filled sandwiches.
Thanks for the memories, Angela!
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me on these
department store tea rooms. I'm going to Macy's Walnut Tea Room in Chicago next week!
Linda, you're exactly right about these places being "ladies who lunch" type tea rooms. While I do see pots of tea and finger sandwiches on offer at a few of them, it's definitely more "luncheon" type fare -- and quite delicious, from the 6 or so recipes I've made so far!
ReplyDelete