When I was in high school, the first job I ever had was at Oakland Mall. I was a waitress at Olga's Kitchen, and I even though it was a bit of a drive from my house, I liked hanging out at the mall, even during Christmas. While I never really got tired of eating at Olga's....I still like eating their freshly tossed Greek salad with exactly one olive placed on top like a cherry on a banana split, and their delicious Olga bread (many moons ago, I clipped the recipe for it out of the Detroit Free press) it was always special to eat at the mezzanine restaurant at J.L. Hudson's. Hudson's was Detroit's fancy department store, it morped into Dayton-Hudsons, then into Marshall Fields and now it's Macys. Somewhere along the line, the nice restaurants faded away into a deli counter. I remember the salads the best at Hudsons, specifically the Maurice Salad, which is somewhat of a Michigan legend. I am not a huge fan of mayonnaise based dressings, but I make the exception for this salad. There is something magical about the combination of the sweet gherkin pickles and the dressing and Swiss cheese that is perfect. The recipe was printed a while ago in the Free Press, but at a whopping 750 calories per serving, I wanted to make something I could eat at lunch regularly. So here is my everyday version...brought down to a more reasonable 450 calories.
Maurice Salad
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ teaspoons onion powder
1½ teaspoons sugar
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup mayonnaise, reduced-fat
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 hard-cooked egg, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound ham, julienned
1/2 pound cooked turkey breast, julienned
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, julienned
½ cup slivered sweet gherkin pickles
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
pimiento-stuffed green olives for garnish (optional)
Directions
To prepare the dressing, in a small bowl combine the vinegar, lemon juice, onion powder, sugar, Dijon and dry mustard; whisk well to dissolve the sugar.
Whisk in the mayonnaise, parsley and egg, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, combine the ham, turkey, cheese and pickles and toss lightly. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently fold together.
Arrange a bed of lettuce on each plate. Top with the meat and cheese mixture and garnish each serving with 2 olives and serve.
Now, if I could just find their recipe for Waldorf Salad....
When I was a child August meant school clothes shopping at Hudson's with the Maurice Salad being the finishing treat. I have tried for years to create the dressing, thanks for sharing it. In my many attempts I have found adding a hit of curry really compliments the salad.
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