Wedge Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing And Spicy Beer Nuts Recipes

THE ULTIMATE WEDGE SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Set out a medium mixing bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well. Then mix in the crumbled blue cheese. Cover and chill until ready to use. (If possible, make a day ahead, or early in the day, so the blue cheese has time to permeate the dressing.)
• Cook the Bacon: Set a skillet over medium heat. Place the chopped bacon in the skillet. Brown the bacon for 4-6 minutes until crispy, stirring regularly. Then scoop the bacon out of the skillet onto a paper towel lined plate to drain off the grease.
• Slice the tomatoes in half and chop the scallions. Then set the head of lettuce on the cutting board. Trim the root/core end a little. Cut the head in half, through the core. (This helps hold the wedges together.) Then cut each half in two, through the core.
• Set each lettuce wedge on a plate. Drizzle with a generous amount of blue cheese dressing. (At least ¼ cup per salad.) Then sprinkle the tops with halved tomatoes, scallions, bacon, and more blue cheese crumbles. Finish each salad plate off with a bit of fresh cracked pepper. Serve cold.

WEDGE SALAD WITH ELEGANT BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 pound blue cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, garlic, and pepper in a bowl; blend using a hand mixer; chill until serving.
• Build the salad by placing 1 lettuce wedge on each of 8 plates. Drizzle equal amounts of dressing over each wedge. Scatter tomatoes, onion, and 1/2 pound blue cheese over each salad.

WEDGE SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING AND SPICY BEER NUTS

Steps:

• To make the dressing:.
• Put 1 bottle of beer in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let it simmer until the beer is reduced by half. In a mixing bowl, put the mayonnaise, sour cream and crumbled cheese. Add 1/3 cup of the reduced beer, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, to taste. Mix well with a fork, leaving it lumpy.
• To make the nuts:.
• Toast the pecan halves in a medium-size, dry, nonstick pan until barely toasted, giving them a stir occasionally. Don't let them burn. Add a jolt, about 1/4 cup of reduced beer, the sugar, salt and chili powder. Let it bubble up, and reduce to lose the liquid and glaze the nuts. When the pan is dry and all the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated, take the pan off the heat.
• Lay in one layer to cool. They will be slightly sticky, but will crisp up a bit as they cool.
• From a head of Iceberg Lettuce, remove any wilted leaves on the outside, and remove the core, then slice the head into 4 equal wedges.
• Drizzle the dressing over the Iceberg lettuce wedge. Put some large chunks of Stilton on top and finish the garnish with the Spicy Beer Nuts.
• Homemade Mayonnaise:.
• Put the eggs and mustard in a food processor. While running the machine, slowly drizzle in the oil until it gets very thick. Add some water, and then continue with the oil. Shift back and forth between the oil and water. When all is added, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

ICEBERG WEDGE SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Steps:

• Make the dressing in a medium-sized bowl by combining the buttermilk, soured cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and 50g of the blue cheese. Season and stir through the chives. Chill until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, pour half the dressing over the lettuce wedges and crumble over the remaining blue cheese and a scattering of walnuts. Serve the rest of the dressing on the side.