Grilled Little Gem Lettuce with Blue Cheese Dressing

The dressing comes first, because the grilling will need full attention once it starts. Blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, and lemon juice blend into something creamy and sharp. How sharp depends entirely on the blue cheese you choose. Roquefort makes it pronounced; Point Reyes or Maytag Blue keeps it more subdued. The pancetta renders in a dry skillet from a low start, the fat cooking out slowly before the heat goes up and the pieces crisp. Four lettuce halves go onto a hot grill pan with a brush of olive oil, just a few minutes per side.

What lands on the plate is a combination of temperatures and textures that makes this more interesting than most green salads: warm, slightly charred lettuce against cold dressing and raw tomatoes, crispy pancetta adding salt and crunch against the creamy blue cheese. Two plates, four lettuce halves, a dressing worth making from scratch. Buy a piece of blue cheese and crumble it yourself — the pre-crumbled version cannot do this dressing justice.

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Key Ingredients in This Recipe:

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

• Heads of little gem lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Pancetta – or bacon
• Parsley
• Blue cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Sour cream
• Buttermilk
• Lemon juice

How to Make Grilled Little Gem Lettuce with Blue Cheese Dressing

Step 1 – Start with the dressing, because grilling the lettuce will not take a lot of time but will need your full attention. Blue Cheese Dressing: Mix most of the blue cheese with the mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, lemon juice and salt and pepper until smooth. Keep some blue cheese for final sprinkling.

Step 2 – Bacon or pancetta: Bake the bacon or pancetta to a crisps. Many people with a little oil in a skillet and then add the bacon. I prefer to start without oil, at a low temperature, and when the fat starts rendering out, turn up the heat and bake until your desired level of crispness. Keep warm if you like or cool down on a paper towel.

Step 3 – Little Gem Lettuce: Heat a grill pan or grill. Cut the gem lettuce heads in half and brush them with a little bit of olive oil and grill on both sides. Grill until cut size is lightly charred and other side until it is warm.

Step 4 – Garnish: Place two halves of the gem lettuce on each plate, pour dressing on top and garnish with tomato halves, chopped parsley, blue cheese and bacon.

This Recipe Works Well

• Crunchy lettuce and crispy bacon, in combination with creamy dressing.
• Sweet grilled lettuce in combination with the sharpness of blue cheese. How sharp you want your blue cheese depends on the type of blue you use. Try a Roquefort if you like it sharp, or a Point Reyes Original Blue or Maytag Blue if you want a more subdued blue experience.
• Warm to roomtemperature lettuce and bacon in combination with cold dressing and tomatoes and parsley.

It goes without saying that little gem lettuce deserves a spot as a delicious salad alternative. If you like to grill it, as I did, or as a raw variety.

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Alternative and Substitutes

• Add raw, pickled or caramelized onion.
• Sprinkle with finely chopped nuts.
• Add volume by slicing an avocado.
• Use Feta cheese or goat cheese instead of blue cheese.
• Prepare another dressing, like ranch, honey-mustard or thousand island.

Other Recipes with Blue Cheese to Try