Ingredients
Bernise Blue Cheese Dressing
4 tsp white wine vinegar
1/3 cup milk
6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp granulated white sugar or honey
1 tsp Bernise
pinch of salt
Wedge Salad
One washed, trimmed, and chilled head of iceberg lettuce, get a big one that feels heavy for its size
1 small red or sweet onion, chopped
6-8 pieces of thick cut bacon, cooked and cut into 1/4" batons
two cups of halved cherry tomatoes or chopped ripe tomato
6-8 ounces of cubed blue cheese
good pepper, Tellicherry, Kampot, etc. or a blend like Pierre if you like
Directions
Place four plates in the fridge to chill.
In a medium bowl mix the milk and vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then stir well. Add crumbled blue cheese and mash with a fork until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, then adjust seasoning to your tastes. Will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator. This is the same dressing I use for my crispy wings.
Using a sharp knife slice the lettuce into quarters.
Plate the lettuces, top with dressing and the other ingredients, dividing everything evenly (though I always find there are people who want a bit more bacon and/or blue cheese). Finish with a generous quantity of ground pepper.
Recipe Note
Variations & Ideas
• You can also serve this as a chopped salad, in this case core the iceberg and cut the leaves into strips or squares. Serve in shallow bowls.
• Try another spice in the dressing for an easy twist. Mishmish N33 is unexpectedly great.
• If you don't eat bacon you can always substitute pieces of pan-fried chicken thigh and/or gribenes. Try adding a pinch or two of Smoked Salt N8 to add that lovely smoky flavor.
• This salad is perfect alongside a grilled ribeye. You can even grill the lettuce if you like for a fun flavor (iceberg stands up very well to quick heat), just brush the wedges with olive oil, and optionally a bit of Redhead Hot Sauce (this is especially great with the Mishmish variant dressing above) and cook each cut side for a minute or two over a hot flame.
Food images and recipe © Christian Leue
Questions? Contact christian@laboiteny.com
