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1
Blue Cheese Dressing, recipe follows
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
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Lay the bacon strips on a roasting rack and bake in the oven until crisp, about 20 minutes.
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(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.)
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Pat dry with a paper towel.
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When cool enough to handle, break into pieces or in half, if using curls.
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Put the egg in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover.
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Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat.
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Set aside for 10 minutes.
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Drain the egg and roll it between your palm and the counter to crack the shell, then peel under cool running water.
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Rub the egg through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside.
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12
Remove the large outer leaves from the romaine hearts and rinse.
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Chop these leaves into bite-size pieces and spin dry.
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(Use an extremely sharp knife to minimize bruising the edges.)
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Halve the hearts through the cores to make 4 wedges.
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Rinse under cold running water and shake to air dry.
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Divide the wedges among 4 plates.
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Mound some of the chopped romaine on top and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Spoon about 1/4 cup of Blue Cheese Dressing over each salad and top with some of the sieved egg and bacon.
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Pass the remaining dressing at the table.
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Know-How: This is the method we use whenever we hard-cook eggs.
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Because they are not actually boiled, the egg's yolk doesn't turn drab green or develop a strong taste.
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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.
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Stir in the parsley and season with plenty of pepper.
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Use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.
