This is one of my absolute favourite salads. It's a little recipe I got from Good Food magazine some 5 or 6 years ago now. The original recipe did not call for any sugar in the dressing, but my Todd hates things that are too sharp and so I added a bit of sugar to the dressing and it turned out just wonderfully! You can leave it out if you wish.
I have tried this with Stilton (Fabulous), gorgonzola (a bit too strong I thought) Cashel Blue (scrummy), Danish Blue (a bit milder) . . . you want a blue cheese with a full flavour, but not too strong. Baby Gems can be a bit on the bitter side, but go perfectly with a nicely flavoured blue cheese. they are a perfect foil for each other!
I cut my finger rather badly this afternoon, well my thumb actually. I was slicing apples for a church function, using my Pampered Chef apple slicer and dummy me . . . a piece of apple got stuck and I tried to push it through with my thumb. YIKES!! Bled like a son of a gun! That apple slicer is fabulously sharp!! I hadn't realized just how sharp. It's a goodun!
I had an el cheapo version before and it wasn't half as sharp. I regularly pushed apples through with my thumbs. Won't be doing that again! Live and learn!!
Anyhow I am giving the old thumb a rest for a couple of days and so . . . you get a simple salad today. It's a tasty one though. Enjoy!
*Baby Gems with a Blue Cheese Vinaigrette*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
This is my favourite salad of all time. I can't get enough of it.
4 little gem lettuce hearts
For the dressing:
2 TBS cider vinegar
2 TBS cream
1 TBS caster sugar (optional)
3 1/2 ounces olive oil
2 ounces stilton cheese, crumbled
2 spring onions, finely sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Make the dressing by whisking the vinegar and cream with a little seasoning,and the sugar, then gradually whisk in the oil and crumble in the cheese.
Slice your baby gems into quarters and place on chilled salad plates. Drizzle each with one quarter of the dressing and then sprinkle an equal portion of spring onions over each.
Season to taste with a bit of sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper.
Note: any good quality blue cheese is fab in this. Irish Cashel Blue is wonderful!
I love anything with Stilton! Hope your thumb mends soon, bad for a cook. xo Jenny
ReplyDeleteOh, no! Did that to my thumb once while grating cheese in college...not good! Hope you're poor thumb is back to baking soon, dear friend!
ReplyDeleteWhat a tasty looking salad! I'll need to try it--love bleu cheese!
And your crumble from your previous post made me wish it wasn't almost midnight here--I'd be baking it right now!
Hope things are going wonderfully well for you (besides the thumb incident!) Sending you lots of love from cool and breezy California...
...and Happy September!!!
Julie
Take care of that finger Marie..Thank you for spoiling us regardless of your mishap..Hope Todd kissed the bobo better:)
ReplyDeleteHope the thumb is okay soon Marie ~ they always bleed so profusely, it's scary.....
ReplyDeleteThe lettuces look LOVELY and anything with blue cheese in it has my 100% seal of approval!
Karen
This looks delicious. I've got some crumbled blue cheese in the refrigerator, so I'm ready to go. Prayers for quick healing for your thumb.
ReplyDeleteNever mind the lettuce...just give me the dressing! Hope your thumb is feeling better. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Marie
ReplyDeleteI am missing your great recipes because I still can't get to the Cottage" blog at all. Hope you can get it fixed because I'm hungry!
We enjoyed these for a light lunch today - and as you promised, they were so delicious. I love the soft, delicate little gems that we get here and that full flavoured dressing goes so well with them. Really delicious and another winner in our household.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased you enjoyed this Marie! It is quite simply my favorite salad of all time! I know I could use another lettuce and get almost the same results, but baby gems really make this salad! Thank you so much! xoxo
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