Equipment
Ingredients
Blue Cheese Dressing
- 120 g blue cheese, crumbled
- 80 ml buttermilk, well shaken
- 120 g sour cream, full fat
- 60 g mayonnaise
- 15 ml apple cider vinegar
- 2 g garlic powder
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
- 2 g kosher salt
Salad
- 150 g thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 iceberg lettuce, outer leaves removed, cored
- 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 10 g fresh chives, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the diced bacon in a cold frying pan over medium heat. Cook until the fat has rendered and the bacon is deeply golden and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess fat. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt. Whisk until smooth and completely incorporated.
Gently fold the crumbled blue cheese into the buttermilk mixture, leaving some larger chunks intact for texture.
Cover the dressing and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the dressing to thicken slightly.
Place the head of iceberg lettuce core-side down on a cutting board. Cut it in half, then cut each half again to create four equal wedges. Trim any excess core, but leave enough intact to hold the leaves together.
Place each lettuce wedge on a serving plate. Spoon a generous amount of the chilled blue cheese dressing over the top, allowing it to pool slightly at the base.
Scatter the crispy bacon bits and halved cherry tomatoes evenly over the dressed wedges. Garnish heavily with fresh chopped chives and an extra crack of black pepper.
Chef's Notes
- Temperature contrast is crucial here. Serve the iceberg lettuce ice-cold and the bacon slightly warm or at room temperature.
- For an extra layer of flavor, reserve one tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat and whisk it into the blue cheese dressing.
- If your blue cheese is very dense, mash a small portion of it into the sour cream base before folding in the rest of the crumbles. This intensifies the blue cheese flavor throughout the dressing.
- Do not dress the salad until the exact moment of serving. Iceberg lettuce releases a high amount of water and will dilute the dressing if left sitting.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Dressing only. Store in an airtight container.
