Wedge Salad

One of life's simple dining pleasures is this refreshing salad made with a wedge of crisp iceberg lettuce sumptuously topped with creamy, homemade blue cheese dressing, crisp pieces of bacon, diced red onion, juicy, ripe tomato and a drizzle of balsamic reduction syrup.

Recipe Ingredients:

Salad:
1 head of iceberg lettuce, washed, drained and well chilled
Crisp bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
Diced sweet red onion
Tomato, diced, or halved cherry tomatoes
Balsamic reduction syrup (optional)

Blue Cheese Dressing:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (1/2 teaspoon dried parsley)
1 teaspoon steak sauce Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely minced to a paste* or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Cooking Directions:

1. For Salad: Several hours before serving, core the iceberg lettuce by slamming the whole head of lettuce, core-side down on the kitchen counter top, then twist out the core. Remove any outer leaves that are undesirable and wash thoroughly, inside and out, with running water. Shake out as much water as possible over the sink and then drain thoroughly on paper towels. Once the lettuce is well-drained, refrigerate in a covered container or sealed plastic bag for several hours or overnight so that it can crisp up (this step is vital for the perfect wedge salad, so don't skip it).
2. For Blue Cheese Dressing: Combine all ingredients, except blue cheese, together in a medium mixing bowl, mixing well. Add crumbled blue cheese and stir vigorously to combine well, allowing some crumbles to remain for texture. Refrigerate for at minimum of 1 hour to allow flavors to marry. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
3. To Serve: Cut the head of lettuce into 1 wedge per person and place each on a chilled serving plate. Drizzle blue cheese dressing over the wedge and sprinkle with the bacon pieces, diced red onion and diced tomatoes, or if using tomato wedges, place them around the lettuce. Lastly, lightly drizzle with balsamic reduction syrup.
4. Serve immediately.

Makes ? servings.

Recipe and photograph by Hope Cantil; Copyright © 1999; property of CooksRecipes.com. See Terms of Use.