Grilled Hearts of Romaine W/Buttermilk-Bleu Cheese Dressing

Cookgirl's Note:

Well, since she hasn't found honest employment as of this writing, CG has returned to her former illegal activity of stealing recipes for a living... This salad is intended to be served as a main course. Be sure to serve with crusty bread to soak up that lovely dressing! I wasn't too sure about the correct way to grill the lettuce, but I found easy directions online. Try substituting heirloom tomatoes for the sun dried toms in the summer when heirlooms are plentiful ('Brandywine' or an exquisite 'Chocolate Cherry' sound good to me!). Pick your favorite homemade and basic bleu cheese dressing, specifically one that includes buttermilk. Note to residents of the PNW: we tested Rogue Creamery's 'Crater Lake' Bleu Cheese. Outstanding! My husband and I imagined what grilled shrimp or prawns would taste like on the salad...

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

Salad

• olive oil
• 3/4 head romaine lettuce hearts, sliced in half lengthwise, core intact
• 3 red radishes, stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
• bleu cheese salad dressing (*HOMEMADE* only!)

Garnish

• sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil and drained or fresh heirloom tomato
• freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the bleu cheese dressing of choice. Please, *DO NOT* use store bought dressing for this salad!
2. For best results, make salad dressing first then refrigerate. If possible, prepare at least 1 hour before serving the salad.
3. Note: The bleu cheese on our salad at the restaurant was not overly thick and we prefer it that way for the best presentation of the salad. Thin with buttermilk to desired consistency: not too thick nor too thin.
4. *Preparing the lettuce: Heat a gas grill to medium low or prepare a medium-low charcoal fire. (Be sure the grate is hot, too.).
5. Lightly brush olive oil all over the romaine hearts, taking care not to break the leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Place the lettuce cut side down on the grate, directly over the heat. Grill until the outer leaves are charred and wilted and the lettuce is warm and just barely tender all the way through to the core, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill.
7. Transfer the lettuce to a clean platter and let rest for 5 minutes.
8. *Tip: You can also use a pan grill on the stove top to prepare the lettuce much in the same manner.
9. Once cool, arrange the hearts on 2 salad plates.
10. Pour the bleu cheese dressing on the romaine hearts.
11. Add the radishes and garnish with a few sun dried tomatoes.
12. Finish with a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper.