Iceberg Lettuce Wedge with Blue Cheese Dressing
It's already been two months since I wrote about birthday bashes. In the time since then we’ve weathered Candlemas, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, and the Spring Equinox, along with unseasonably warm days and, in New York City, a late season dusting of snow. In our urban home, we’ve traveled to Los Angeles, watched the Academy Awards, cleaned housed, cooked with winter produce, even made a pizza. And, as written about in that birthday article, we’ve been back to Keens Chophouse.
A nice evening is the intent of dinner at the steakhouse, and this is third March column in a row devoted to helping you prepare and serve a delicious steak dinner at home. We started with classic Steak Diane, a sumptuous dish whose renaissance has been felt in wonderful dining rooms from The Tar Pit in L.A. to Commerce in New York City. Then we prepared a potato gratin to accompany the steak. Now with spring produce coming in, we harken to Keens for a first course which aside from the mutton chop and the Tartare is that great steakhouse’s signature dish: an iceberg lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing.
Some cooks, not to mention eaters, disparage iceberg lettuce, but it really is the perfect fresh green to serve with the bold flavors of a steak dinner (the other, spinach, is traditionally stewed in cream and nutmeg when served with steak). Unlike a handful of delicate mesclun or unruly field greens, iceberg lettuce has the wherewithal to stand up to a manly dousing of blue cheese dressing. Accordingly, the iceberg lettuce salad is the lead story of most steakhouse menus, even before the shrimp cocktail and the sliced tomatoes and onions.
Here to complete our March steakhouse menu is my version of the classic iceberg wedge, shivering from serving time in the fridge and self-resurrecting from a downpour of intensely flavored dressing. I make no claim that my version is as good as Keens’ or that I have uncovered the secrets of how they prepare their legendary blue cheese dressing, but everyone who eats this one likes it, and I hope you will, too. Commence your steakhouse dinner with Bloody Marys and then serve it with a bold Cabernet Sauvignon or a peppery Pinot Noir. And, since dinner at home is its own celebration, don’t forget dessert!
ICEBERG LETTUCE WEDGE WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
A sturdy bread knife is ideal for cutting a head of iceberg lettuce; you can obtain a good one here
. A lemon press makes quick work of juicing citrus; you can obtain a good one here.
For the salad
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 small bunch scallions
Salt (Greek sea salt works well)
Freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1 lemon
8 ounces assertive blue cheese, such as Maytag, Gorgonzola, or Roquefort
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the salads; 1 hour before serving
1. Place four salad plates or low bowls near a clean cutting board dedicated to fruits and vegetables.
2. Inspect the head of iceberg lettuce, removing any papery or yellowed or brown leaves. Rinse the head of lettuce under cool water and place, core side down, on a layer of paper towels to dry.
3. Lay the scallions on the cutting board. Align the scallions side by side and across the bottom.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut across the bottom of the row of scallions to remove and discard the stringy root ends of the scallions. Use the knife to cut across the green tops of the scallions to remove and discard the browned or papery tops of the greens; though it will not be uniform, some green should remain on each scallion.
5. Use your hands to pull away and discard the papery outer skin of each scallion where present; not all scallions will have this.
6. Use the knife to cut each scallion in half lengthways from green top to white bottom. Use the knife to cut each scallion half in half lengthways from green top to white bottom. Align each scallion quarter lengthways and use the knife to cut the gathered scallions crossways into thirds.
7. Scrape the julienned scallions into a bowl.
8. Hold the head of lettuce over the sink core side down and shake it dry. Place the head of lettuce core side up on the cutting board.
9. Use a bread knife to cut the head of lettuce in halves straight down through the core. Use the bread knife to cut each half straight down through the core into quarters.
10. Use the bread knife to cut away and discard the core from each iceberg wedge, doing your best to keep the leaves from separating.
11. Sprinkle each plate or bowl with a pinch of salt and a few grindings of fresh black pepper. Place a few pieces of julienned scallion into each bowl.
12. Gently place an iceberg wedge cut sides up on the julienned scallion. Sprinkle each wedge with additional julienned scallion. If you do not use all of the scallion, place the extra in plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper for side salads or stir-fry.
13. Refrigerate the salads until ready to serve.
Prepare the dressing, 1 hour before serving
1. Roll the lemon under the heel of your palm to express the juice. Cut the lemon in half and use a lemon press to juice each lemon half over a bowl, letting the juice flow through a sieve to catch any pith or seeds. You should have approximately 2 tablespoons of juice; it does not matter if the measurement is not exact.
2. Sprinkle the lemon juice with several grindings of fresh black pepper. Add the dried thyme to the seasoned lemon juice.
3. Measure the mayonnaise and sour cream and use a silicon spatula to add each to the seasoned lemon juice.
4. Use a wire whisk to mix the seasoned lemon juice, mayonnaise and sour cream until smooth.
5. Measure the buttermilk into a measuring cup with a spout. Use one hand to whisk the mixture in the bowl as you pour the buttermilk in a thin stream into the mixture in the bowl.
6. Unwrap the cheese and crumble it into the bowl. Use the whisk to incorporate the cheese into the dressing.
7. Cover the dressing with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
To serve
1. Remove the salads and the dressing from the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap from the dressing.
2. Use a ladle or deep spoon to stir the dressing. Use the ladle or deep spoon to drizzle each salad with a generous serving of dressing.
3. Place the dressing on the table for each diner to serve themselves further if they wish.
A nice evening is the intent of dinner at the steakhouse, and this is third March column in a row devoted to helping you prepare and serve a delicious steak dinner at home. We started with classic Steak Diane, a sumptuous dish whose renaissance has been felt in wonderful dining rooms from The Tar Pit in L.A. to Commerce in New York City. Then we prepared a potato gratin to accompany the steak. Now with spring produce coming in, we harken to Keens for a first course which aside from the mutton chop and the Tartare is that great steakhouse’s signature dish: an iceberg lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing.
Some cooks, not to mention eaters, disparage iceberg lettuce, but it really is the perfect fresh green to serve with the bold flavors of a steak dinner (the other, spinach, is traditionally stewed in cream and nutmeg when served with steak). Unlike a handful of delicate mesclun or unruly field greens, iceberg lettuce has the wherewithal to stand up to a manly dousing of blue cheese dressing. Accordingly, the iceberg lettuce salad is the lead story of most steakhouse menus, even before the shrimp cocktail and the sliced tomatoes and onions.
Here to complete our March steakhouse menu is my version of the classic iceberg wedge, shivering from serving time in the fridge and self-resurrecting from a downpour of intensely flavored dressing. I make no claim that my version is as good as Keens’ or that I have uncovered the secrets of how they prepare their legendary blue cheese dressing, but everyone who eats this one likes it, and I hope you will, too. Commence your steakhouse dinner with Bloody Marys and then serve it with a bold Cabernet Sauvignon or a peppery Pinot Noir. And, since dinner at home is its own celebration, don’t forget dessert!
ICEBERG LETTUCE WEDGE WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
A sturdy bread knife is ideal for cutting a head of iceberg lettuce; you can obtain a good one here
. A lemon press makes quick work of juicing citrus; you can obtain a good one here.For the salad
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 small bunch scallions
Salt (Greek sea salt works well)
Freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1 lemon
8 ounces assertive blue cheese, such as Maytag, Gorgonzola, or Roquefort
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the salads; 1 hour before serving
1. Place four salad plates or low bowls near a clean cutting board dedicated to fruits and vegetables.
2. Inspect the head of iceberg lettuce, removing any papery or yellowed or brown leaves. Rinse the head of lettuce under cool water and place, core side down, on a layer of paper towels to dry.
3. Lay the scallions on the cutting board. Align the scallions side by side and across the bottom.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut across the bottom of the row of scallions to remove and discard the stringy root ends of the scallions. Use the knife to cut across the green tops of the scallions to remove and discard the browned or papery tops of the greens; though it will not be uniform, some green should remain on each scallion.
5. Use your hands to pull away and discard the papery outer skin of each scallion where present; not all scallions will have this.
6. Use the knife to cut each scallion in half lengthways from green top to white bottom. Use the knife to cut each scallion half in half lengthways from green top to white bottom. Align each scallion quarter lengthways and use the knife to cut the gathered scallions crossways into thirds.
7. Scrape the julienned scallions into a bowl.
8. Hold the head of lettuce over the sink core side down and shake it dry. Place the head of lettuce core side up on the cutting board.
9. Use a bread knife to cut the head of lettuce in halves straight down through the core. Use the bread knife to cut each half straight down through the core into quarters.
10. Use the bread knife to cut away and discard the core from each iceberg wedge, doing your best to keep the leaves from separating.
11. Sprinkle each plate or bowl with a pinch of salt and a few grindings of fresh black pepper. Place a few pieces of julienned scallion into each bowl.
12. Gently place an iceberg wedge cut sides up on the julienned scallion. Sprinkle each wedge with additional julienned scallion. If you do not use all of the scallion, place the extra in plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper for side salads or stir-fry.
13. Refrigerate the salads until ready to serve.
Prepare the dressing, 1 hour before serving
1. Roll the lemon under the heel of your palm to express the juice. Cut the lemon in half and use a lemon press to juice each lemon half over a bowl, letting the juice flow through a sieve to catch any pith or seeds. You should have approximately 2 tablespoons of juice; it does not matter if the measurement is not exact.
2. Sprinkle the lemon juice with several grindings of fresh black pepper. Add the dried thyme to the seasoned lemon juice.
3. Measure the mayonnaise and sour cream and use a silicon spatula to add each to the seasoned lemon juice.
4. Use a wire whisk to mix the seasoned lemon juice, mayonnaise and sour cream until smooth.
5. Measure the buttermilk into a measuring cup with a spout. Use one hand to whisk the mixture in the bowl as you pour the buttermilk in a thin stream into the mixture in the bowl.
6. Unwrap the cheese and crumble it into the bowl. Use the whisk to incorporate the cheese into the dressing.
7. Cover the dressing with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
To serve
1. Remove the salads and the dressing from the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap from the dressing.
2. Use a ladle or deep spoon to stir the dressing. Use the ladle or deep spoon to drizzle each salad with a generous serving of dressing.
3. Place the dressing on the table for each diner to serve themselves further if they wish.
I love iceberg salads and this sounds delicious! I would avoid it at Ca Va, though. The core of a head of iceberg lettuce was frosted, essentially, with a very/too sweet Russian dressing, with a smear of avocado puree and tomato puree on top.
ReplyDeleteI agreed George. It makes it differ with another.
ReplyDelete