Best Grilled Romaine With Blue Cheese Bacon Vinaigrette Recipes

GRILLED ROMAINE WITH BLUE CHEESE-BACON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or indoor grill pan to high.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and bacon and cook until the bacon is crispy. Remove the onion and bacon from the pan. Add the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Brush the romaine with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place on the grill cut-side down and quickly sear until grill marks are visible. Set aside. For each serving, place a half head of romaine cut-side up on a plate and drizzle the balsamic dressing on top. Sprinkle with blue cheese and the bacon and onion, and garnish with cracked black pepper. Photograph by Yunhee Kim

GRILLED ROMAINE WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Combine mayonnaise, blue cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, shallot, and garlic in a medium bowl. Mix well, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
• When ready to prepare the salad, preheat an outdoor grill for medium-low heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute bacon, turning as needed, until evenly browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Dice cooled bacon and set aside.
• Lightly brush romaine on all sides with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Using a pair of tongs, place romaine, cut-sides down, on the preheated grill. Cook until slightly caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes; it should still be slightly raw and crunchy in the center. Remove to a clean platter and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Place each romaine half on a serving plate. Drizzle with dressing and top with tomato and diced bacon.

HEARTS OF ROMAINE WITH BLUE CHEESE AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lay the bacon strips on a roasting rack and bake in the oven until crisp, about 20 minutes. (To make bacon curls: Wrap each slice of raw bacon around a metal skewer in a barber-pole fashion and lay the skewers on the roasting rack.) Pat dry with a paper towel. When cool enough to handle, break into pieces or in half, if using curls.
• Put the egg in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Set aside for 10 minutes. Drain the egg and roll it between your palm and the counter to crack the shell, then peel under cool running water. Rub the egg through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside.
• Remove the large outer leaves from the romaine hearts and rinse. Chop these leaves into bite-size pieces and spin dry. (Use an extremely sharp knife to minimize bruising the edges.) Halve the hearts through the cores to make 4 wedges. Rinse under cold running water and shake to air dry.
• Divide the wedges among 4 plates. Mound some of the chopped romaine on top and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon about 1/4 cup of Blue Cheese Dressing over each salad and top with some of the sieved egg and bacon. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.
• Pulse the mayonnaise, blue cheese, buttermilk, shallot, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and celery seeds in a food processor to make a chunky but pourable sauce. Stir in the parsley and season with plenty of pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

ROMAINE SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Place lettuce in a big bowl. Combine garlic, oregano, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Add oil to dressing in a slow stream and mix with a whisk or fork. Stir in blue cheese. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

GRILLED ROMAINE SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to medium.
• For the dressing: In a blender, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, capers, salt and garlic. Blend until smooth. Add the Worcestershire, hot sauce, anchovies and 1/2 cup of the olive oil and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Add the remaining olive oil if needed. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, toss 4 of the romaine halves in a little olive oil and season them with salt. Put them in a single layer on the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for 3 additional minutes; the romaine should feel slightly warm and tender. Transfer the halves to a large platter. Spoon a little dressing on each.
• On a flat surface, finely chop the rest of the romaine and add it to a medium bowl. Add the remaining vinaigrette, a touch of lemon juice and the basil leaves. Toss to coat the romaine.
• Top the grilled romaine with some of the chopped, dressed romaine. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and serve immediately.

ROMAINE SALAD WITH BACON FAT DRESSING

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool, then chop. Add the vinegar to the same skillet with the bacon fat, followed by the Dijon, maple syrup and a few turns of pepper. Whisk together, heating over medium heat until emulsified, then turn off the heat.
• To serve, place the romaine on a platter and sprinkle with the bacon, crumbled blue cheese and dried cherries. Drizzle with the warm bacon fat dressing and season with salt and pepper.

GRILLED ROMAINE

Steps:

• Build a fire in your grill, leaving one side free of coals. When coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium.)
• Meanwhile, make the dressing: Put the minced garlic into a bowl, and add the minced anchovies. Using a whisk, mix and mash these ingredients together until they form a paste. Add the mayonnaise and the mustard and whisk. Add the olive oil, whisking all the while, and then the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Make the salad: Drizzle the olive oil over the quartered heads of lettuce. Lightly grill these directly over the hot coals for 15 to 20 seconds on each side, until they are lightly golden, then remove to the cool side of the grill. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, paint the dressing over the lettuce, making sure to get dressing between the leaves. Sprinkle the lettuce with Parmesan and cover the grill for 1 or 2 minutes to allow the cheese to melt and the lettuce to soften further. Remove lettuce to a platter and serve.