Focus on Food

One of my favorite summer salads originated in Hudson’s Department Store (now Macy’s) in Detroit, Michigan. No one remembers why it was called Maurice Salad, but it has remained popular in Michigan and parts of the upper Midwest for more than 50 years. 

 

The ingredients are very much the same as a traditional chef salad; it is the dressing that sets this dish apart, as well as the addition of green olives and sweet gherkins. 

 

I first tried this salad on the porch of the Cincinnati Country Club. It was served with small wedges of date nut bread filled with cream cheese. This very hearty, but somehow light, summer lunch is the one thing that is always on the menu.

 

Maurice Salad

This recipe makes eight servings.

 

Salad dressing
(Make this first so it has time to chill.)
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1½ tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp chopped sweet onion (or 1½ tsp onion juice)
• 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp dry mustard
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp minced parsley (fresh is best)

 

Mix vinegar, lemon juice, chopped onion, and mustards together. Add mayonnaise, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Use a blender to blend until smooth. 

 

Chill for about an hour.

 

Salad Ingredients
• 14 oz. ham, cut into strips
• 14 oz. turkey breast, cut into strips
• 14 oz. aged Swiss cheese
• ½ cup sweet gherkins, slivered
• 12 pimento stuffed green olives, halved
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped coarsely

 

Chop the lettuce and toss with turkey, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and olives.

 

Toss with chilled dressing, using less dressing and adding more if needed.

 

I like to serve this salad with small date nut bread and cream cheese wedges. Enjoy!