Tagged Salad

The Wonderful Blue Cheese Wedge

Classic Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad
In the market, iceberg lettuce conjures up two insanely different images. The first is the iceberg of my childhood memory.  A bowling ball of watery leafy greens that were just about mummy wrapped in cellophane and saran wrap on the A&P shelf and served on a plate with a dollop of plain sour cream by my Aunt Josie.  She was not a cook but an exceptional God Mother and Aunt.

The second was hand harvesting my first head of heirloom iceberg at Quail Hill Farm.  What a treat – so much so that I’d drive 20 miles to harvest the iceberg when the crop comes in.  I dare not share my secret of the exceptional flavor of the heirloom iceberg while other share holders pick the deer tongue, boston, and other fancy lettuce heads.  I wanted to be able to pick more next week.  And inevitably the iceberg was still there – week after week.

Now the fun begins.  I love an impecable wedge – not the the Baco’s covered wedge of restaurant chain fame – but a proper blue chesse wedge salad – with or without bacon.

My second secret is a recipe from Montrachet – where the blue cheese dressing was made with buttermilk and tarragon vinegar.  Exceptional by my standards.

For this recipe – you will need a gadget.  A wand is perfect but a blender or small food processor will do.

Butter Milk Blue Cheese Wedge Salad

3 small heads of heirloom iceberg lettuce – or 1 large head

1 cup of Butter Milk

1 large shallot – I prefer the torpedo shaped shallots, they are easier to peel

8 to 12 oz of Danish Blue cheese

1T tarragon vinegar.  And although any good quality herbal vinegar will do – the taragon vinegar imparts the perfect flavor

Coarse Ground Black Pepper for Finishing
Bleu Cheese, Butter Milk, Shallots, Tarragon Vinegar1-Measure the butter milk and set aside.

2-Roughly chop the shallots by hand.

Chopped Shallots3- Add the shallots and the vinegar to a vessel and process to chop.

Shallots Wisked4- add the buttermilk and process adding cheese chunk by chunk continuing to process into a thick dressing

Blue cheese dressing Wisked5- Taste.  Drizzle in more vinegar if need be.

6- Refrigerate

7- Just before serving cut the Iceberg lettuce heads into wedges.  I like the smaller heads on a long platter – lined up like soldiers on guard

8- Spoon the Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing over the wedges making sure it is distributed evenly. Finish with Coarse Ground Black Pepper to taste.

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing is a teriffic sauce over grilled skirt steak as well.  And makes a lovely main course salad.