Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

from Marguerite Thomas
submitted by Jeanne Milligan

serves approximately 4

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 small shallot, peeled and diced, approximately 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 thick slices bacon

8 ounces blue cheese, like Roquefort, crumbled

¼ cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 dash Worcestershire sauce, to taste

1 large head iceberg lettuce, the outer leaves removed, cut into 4 wedges

2 tablespoons finely minced chives

Combine the tomatoes, shallots and vinegar in a small a bowl, and sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.

Cook the bacon in a sauté pan until crisp on both sides, then drain on a paper towel. Crumble when cool, set aside.

Make the dressing. Put half the cheese into a medium-size bowl, and mash with a whisk. Add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, olive oil, hot sauce, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, then mash and whisk the dressing until it is mostly smooth. You may wish for a little more hot sauce, lemon juice or Worcestershire, to taste. Then whisk again and set aside.

Assemble the salad. Place one wedge of lettuce on each plate, and gently spoon dressing over it. Sprinkle each wedge with crumbled bacon, the dressed tomato halves, the remaining blue cheese and some minced chives.