old-fashioned iceberg wedges with luxurious bleu cheese dressing

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Once upon a time, iceberg lettuce (the clownishly round, very pale green variety) was the only salad green on most American dinner plates. Then for years it seemed to have been banished from all venues except for low-end salad bars and Mexican combo platters. But even though more fashionable species of deeper-hued, smaller, shapelier salad greens replaced it in discriminating culinary circles, in recent years iceberg has made a major comeback as the uber-cool wedge, its mildness offset with a big-flavored bleu cheese dressing. It’s nice to serve this on individual salad plates. It’s even nicer if you chill the plates first (everything about this dish should be cold) by stacking them in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving time.

With a very simple dressing and minimal lettuce prep, this is a good recipe for beginners. When shopping for iceberg lettuce, buy the tightest, greenest head you can find. You can use any kind of bleu cheese. Some are saltier and more pungent than others, and prices vary widely. Try different kinds until you find your favorite. The dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until just before serving.

luxurious bleu cheese dressing

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup mayonnaise

½ cup crumbled bleu cheese

salad

1 large head (about 1 pound) iceberg lettuce, chilled

Freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the dressing, combine the buttermilk and mayonnaise in a medium-sized bowl, and whisk until blended. Continue whisking as you sprinkle in the bleu cheese. Continue to mix, mashing the cheese a bit. The cheese will mostly, but not completely, blend into the mixture. There will be some small lumps. You want them there. It’s part of the charm.

2. Peel off and discard any wilted or damaged outer leaves from the head of lettuce. Stand the lettuce on the stem end and use a sharp knife (choose one with a blade about as large as the head of lettuce) to cut the entire head in half. Cut each half from top to stem into two or three wedges. If the core looks tough, use a paring knife to trim it off each wedge.

3. Stand one wedge (resting on its outer-leaf side looks cool) on each serving plate, and spoon a generous amount of dressing over the top, letting it drip down to the plate if it wants to. Serve right away, passing a pepper grinder at the table.

GET CREATIVE

• Sprinkle the top with chopped lightly toasted pecans.
• In addition to the pecans, you can add some sliced or diced apple and/or a scattering of dried cranberries.
• Cut some very sweet tomatoes in half and scatter a few on each plate. Tomatoes are hugely compatible with bleu cheese, and the color will perk this up greatly! Sprinkle on some chopped parsley or snipped chives for even more color.
• Cook 2 strips of bacon (see Chapter 8: Party Snacks), cool, and crumble over each serving.
• Try serving iceberg wedges with other dressings, including Homemade Ranch Salads) or the Oregano-Laced Vinaigrette from the Greek Salad  

original-ish waldorf salad

Makes 4 to 5 servings

It may seem old-school, but give it a try and you’ll see why this classic apple-celery-walnut salad has never gone out of style. The addition of yogurt makes this version a bit tangier and more multidimensional than the original. It’s nice to use a variety of apples for this. I like to combine tart green ones, such as Granny Smiths, with a medium-sweet variety, like Galas, and something sweet and crunchy, like Honeycrisps, Fujis, or Pink Ladies. Cut the apples right before assembling the salad; otherwise they’ll turn brown.

4 medium-sized apples, chopped into roughly ½-inch chunks (unpeeled)

1 stalk celery, minced

¼ cup (packed) raisins (dark or golden)

1 cup plain yogurt

¼ cup mayonnaise

½ cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

1. Combine the apples, celery, and raisins in a medium-large bowl.

2. In a second, smaller bowl, whisk together the yogurt and mayonnaise until smooth. Pour this mixture over the apples, and stir gently until everything is evenly coated. Serve topped with the walnuts.

GET CREATIVE

• Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over each serving.
• For a lighter result, you can use all yogurt and leave out the mayo.
• If you like a sweeter Waldorf, add up to 1 tablespoon honey or real maple syrup.
• For a richer salad, you can swap in some sour cream for some or all of the mayonnaise and/or yogurt.
• Add up to ½ cup crumbled bleu cheese when combining the yogurt and mayo. Add some diced chicken to make this a main dish for lunch. The chicken and the bleu cheese go very well together.
• Toss in up to ½ cup halved seedless grapes.
• Mash half a ripe avocado until it’s smooth, and whisk this into the yogurt-mayo mixture.
• Garnish with fresh orange or tangerine sections (seedless or seeded by you) or drained canned mandarin oranges (if you really want to go old-school).
• You can swap in pecans or almonds for the walnuts.
• Mix in some diced or thinly sliced carrot.
• Other dried fruit (chopped dates, sliced figs, dried blueberries, cranberries, or cherries) can sub for the raisins; or use a mix of black and golden raisins.
• Make this vegan by replacing the mayonnaise and yogurt with eggless vegan mayonnaise.

TOASTING NUTS

Toasting brings out the flavor of nuts and gives them a delightful crispness. It’s an easy process that makes a huge difference, especially when you’re going to be tossing nuts into a dish like a salad or pasta (or even if you just want to have them around to snack on).

To toast nuts, adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking tray, and bake them for 7 to 12 minutes, or until they are fragrant and just beginning to turn brown. (I recommend setting a timer for 7 minutes and then checking the nuts every minute or two after it goes off.) Remove the nuts from the oven, and let them cool on the tray for at least 5 minutes. (You can also do this same process in a toaster oven.)