Winter Fruit Salad with a Lemon and Poppy Seed Dressing

I am a real salad lover.  I could eat them 365 days of the year, for lunch and supper.   Todd is not so fussed, but I am slowly converting him into a salad lover, one salad at a time.   It’s nice to have great tools when it comes to making salads and I was recently sent a couple of brilliant tools by the people at ICTC (The Intercontinental Cooking and Tableware Company) to use in my salad making, and I have been really pleased with them I have to say.

Both are from Crisp Tools for healthy eating.   A lovely Lettuce Knife and a lovely set of Salad Tongs.

As a salad lover there is nothing worse than cutting a head of lettuce one day and then going to use it the next.  I was taught in Culinary School not to cut lettuce with a knife, but instead to tear it.  The metal in a normal life causes it to rust . . .  you know that horrible brown edge that you get the day after.  It doesn’t affect the taste, but it certainly isn’t very nice to look at.  With the Crisp Lettuce  Knife that is no longer a problem!

The Crisp™ Lettuce Knife was specifically designed to help you cut delicate salad greens without causing damage. The deep tooth design cuts lettuce without browning or bruising and the 7 inch blade is large enough for even the biggest heads of lettuce. A soft-touch, ergonomic handle fits comfortably and firmly in your hand for increased cutting control.

This little baby works excellently, and I have to say it’s really sharp.  You do need to be careful using it as you could definitely cut yourself.

This has a limited 7 year Warranty and it is dishwasher safe.

Lightweight and easy to use.  I love it! Not only is this a fantastic cutting tool for preparing salads, but it doubles as the perfect tool for slicing soft produce items, such as tomatoes, mushrooms or strawberries. The ergonomic handle and soft-touch rubber grips provide a comfortable grip and superior cutting control when tackling all your cutting and prep work in the kitchen. 

The Crisp™ Salad Tongs put a new – better – twist on a classic kitchen utensil. Innovatively designed to allow for a comfortable and natural horizontal position while in use, these tongs can be separated for easier salad tossing then connected for secure serving. The soft touch handles ensure a comfortable, no-slip grip.

• Lockable for storage 
• Lockable for compact storage 
•  Dishwasher safe 
• Limited 7 year warranty  

This kitchen gadget was designed with a unique removable locking spring. By removing the locking spring, your tongs instantly become independent utensils for dressing and tossing the salad. When your salad is ready to dish, replace the locking spring and you instantly have the perfect pair of tongs for serving salads.

Like all of the cooking tools in the Crisp™ line-up, these salad tongs are ergonomically designed to provide a natural horizontal positioning when it in use. The angle, along with the soft touch rubber handles, make using these tongs comfortable and intuitive.

I am forever trying to find both parts of my salad servers so that I can use them, but more often than not I have ended up just using two large spoons.  These salad servers have put an end to that problem!  They’re attached and I can’t find one half without finding the other!   Result!  These are easy to use, easy to clean and easy to store.  Love, LOVE.

I know, you are probably wondering what that tasty salad is that I have been showing you.  It’s my Winter Fruit Salad . . .  Crisp apples and pears, sliced and added to crisp lettuce leaves . . .  with dried cranberries, and toasted pecans nuts . . .  shavings of sweet and nutty emmenthaler (Swiss) cheese.  Dressed with a delicious sweet and sour lemon and poppy seed dressing . . . homemade of course! You get the tartness of the lemon combined with the sweetness of sugar . . . a little bite from some grated onion and the crunch of poppy seeds.

Oh, my . . . this is some good, and simple to make and serve when you have the right tools to use!  Colour me a happy camper!

*Winter Fruit Salad with a Lemon and Poppy Seed Dressing*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

A perfect blend of crunchy cos lettuce, sweet apples, pears and cranberries,  salty cashew nuts and nutty emmenthal cheese, swathed in a tangy lemon and poppy seed dressing.  Delicious!

1 pound of cos lettuce hearts, washed, dried and coarsly chopped
(Romaine lettuce, 16 ounces)
6 ounces emmenthal cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (Swiss cheese)
150g of roasted salted cashew nuts (1 cup)
75g of sweetened dried cranberries (1/2 cup)
1 large eating apple, washed, cored and thinly sliced
1 large ripe pear, washed, cored and thinly sliced

For the Dressing:
95g of white sugar (1/2 cup)
125ml fresh lemon juice (1/2 cup)
2 tsp finely grated onion
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
150ml of salad oil (2/3 cup)
1 TBS poppy seeds
(This will make more dressing than you need, but you can store it in the refrigerator and
use it for other salads.)

To make the dressing, shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a large jar until emulsified.  Set aside.

Toss the lettuce, cheese, nuts, cranberries, apple slices and pear slices together in a bowl.  Divide amongst chilled serving plates.  Give the dressing a good shake again and drizzle some of the dressing over the salads.  Pass remaining dressing so that people can top it up as need be on their own salads.

ICTC distribute many of the best known kitchenware and cookware brands on the market today to many of the leading specialist cookshops and department stores in the UK and Ireland.

Their impressive range includes beautifully designed, quality bakeware, cookware, tableware, textiles, high tech and innovative kitchen equipment.  After many years at the top of the housewares industry, ICTC is renowned for providing its many customers with first class service and excellent product knowledge.

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The English Kitchen
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