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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bleu/Blue Cheese Dressing

So you know I made a simple Salad of Iceberg Lettuce, Radishes and a Carrot, but what did I do with the other half of the head of iceberg?

Another American classic - the wedge salad.

Wedge Salad 1

Now, you can be lazy and use store-bought dressing for this, but why would you do that when you can make the best bleu cheese dressing ever? (Hmm. Which spelling do you prefer? Bleu cheese? Or blue cheese?) I found a lovely wedge of blue cheese on sale for only $2. It was probably because it was close to the expiration date but blue cheese is already moldy so how bad can it be? This dressing is so great, you can even use it as a dip with my Sriracha Buffalo wings. Or save a bit for my upcoming recipe of Stuffed Potato Skins.

Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bleu/Blue Cheese Dressing

For the bleu cheese dressing, you'll need:
8 oz container sour cream
4 oz blue cheese, cut into chunks if you bought a wedge, reserving some pieces for serving
2 tblsp mayonnaise
1 tblsp white wine vinegar
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar
freshly ground black pepper

To serve: 1 strip of bacon crumbles and 1/2 tomato chunks per 1/4 wedge of iceberg lettuce

Separate blue cheese into chunks if you bought a wedge. Reserve some bleu cheese for topping the salad later. In a bowl, combine the bleu cheese with 8 oz sour cream, 2 tblsp mayonnaise, 1 tblsp white wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and as much freshly ground black pepper as you'd like. Add more vinegar, if necessary, until the consistency is to your liking.

Mmm. Just look at those lovely chunks of bleu cheese and fresh pepper.

Wedge Salad 2

Mix thoroughly. Cover and let dressing meld and chill in the fridge.

Wedge Salad 3

Prepare your iceberg lettuce. Remove bruised outer leaves. Cut into quarters. Cut off hard inner core. Arrange as a wedge on salad plates.

Chop tomatoes into chunks. Set aside.

Prepare bacon crumbles. For ease, I use a pair of scissors to cut my bacon strips into smaller pieces. Then I fry them crispy. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.

To serve, drizzle bleu cheese dressing on top of each wedge, letting the dressing cascade down the sides. Sprinkle tomato chunks on top. Sprinkle bacon crumbles on top of that. Sprinkle the bleu cheese chunks that had been reserved separately over everything.

Wedge Salad 4

Serve with a fork and knife.

A close-up of that lovely bleu cheese dressing, and the tomatoes, bacon, and more bleu cheese that makes this salad so yummy.

Wedge Salad 5

Enjoy!

Some other salads you might like:
Caesar Salad with Chicken and Croutons
Cobb Salad
Fava and Garbanzo Bean Salad
Goi Buoi Tom (Vietnamese Pomelo Salad with Shrimp)
Goi Cu Sen Non Tom Thit (Vietnamese Young Lotus Root Salad with Shrimp and Pork)
Goi Xoai Xanh (Vietnamese Green Mango Salad)
Insalata Caprese (Italian Capri Salad - Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella)
Waldorf Salad
Watermelon, Feta, and Basil Salad
Wilted Arugula and Lettuce Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Xa Lach Thit Bo (Vietnamese Steak Salad)

*****
1 year ago today, frozen yogurt at the original Cefiore - Little Tokyo.

6 comments:

  1. wow yum! i just want to take a big bite of that. such a great and easy recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this salad - the crisp iceberg lettuce with creamy dressing and crunchy bacon - yum yum. I know iceberg has a low-class reputation but there's nothing but class in this salad :)

    Do you have a favorite blue cheese? I love Maytag blue cheese - so creamy and flavorful. I think the one I tried from Point Reyes was also good.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Susan,
    If you're really lazy, it comes together faster and easier if you use store-bought dressing too. But why would you when you've got my recipe right? ;)

    Christine,
    Iceberg may be low-classy, but who says we can't dress it up and make it fancy? This is the Pygmalion of salads! I don't have a favorite blue cheese. I like the Danish brands and Oregon Rogue River, but I usually just buy whatever's cheapest.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oooh looks delicious and healthy! Except for the cheese, haha.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That salad looks delicious!

    I never buy bleu cheese because my husband won't eat it. I only eat it now and then in restaurants.

    I usually buy the bagged lettuce mixes, but on occasion I like a hunk of good old crunchy iceberg lettuce.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jeannie,
    You can go a little lighter and drizzle Ranch dressing. Notice I said only a little lighter. :P

    Zoey,
    I'm not much of a salad person actually and the bagged salads are so convenient. But sometimes, I'm in the mood to jazz up a simple iceberg.

    ReplyDelete

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