SAN DIEGO — A good friend of mine was the bar manager at Rainwaters Steakhouse in the 1990's. I would eat at the bar and always start with a wedge head of iceberg lettuce topped with Blue Cheese dressing. Often the sous chef who skied would sit, we would share stories and a recipe or two.
Chop House Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1 cup Blue Cheese
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk, more for thinning
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Hot sauce
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. Brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 2 strips bacon
The trick to making this restaurant quality is getting the lettuce crispy and cold. First take off the loose leaves of the iceberg lettuce on the outside, trim the base of the head, just enough to get the brown off. Depending on the size of the head cut it into quarters or sixths, soak in water, drain off a lot of the water, but not all of it and refrigerate until ready to serve. This can be done an hour in advance, but longer than that cover with a damp cloth.
Slice the bacon into small slices and cook until crispy, drain off fat and set aside.
Combine all the ingredients except the lettuce and bacon, adding buttermilk to achieve the desired thickness. Place in the refrigerator for at least ½ an hour to let the dressing set.
When you're ready to serve, use a salad spinner to remove the excess water, plate the iceberg wedge, top with Blue Cheese dressing and sprinkle with bacon bits. You can finish it with a little Parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper, that's the way Molly likes it.
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