"The Wedge"

I think my very favorite thing about going to a steak house for dinner is the "wedge" salad.  The crisp ice-berg lettuce, tangy blue cheese, salty bacon....just thinking about it makes me hungry!  A friend of mine called me the other day and said that she was having some friends over for dinner.  Since it was right before Thanksgiving she wanted to serve something completely different then what they all would be eating for the holiday.  The minute she said she was going to be grilling some steaks I told her that I had the best recipe for "The Wedge".  She ended up making this salad along side her steaks. When I asked the next day if everyone liked it...she told me everyone BUT one of her guests...HE HATES BLUE CHEESE!  So...that being said...this is the best "Wedge" but only serve it to people who like blue cheese.  Try it...super simple.  Once you make this homemade blue cheese dressing you will never buy bottled again.  Come to think of it...we don't have one bottled dressing in our fridge.  Making home-made dressing are very simple and taste so much better without all the additives.  Anyway...make this salad along side of a nice juicy steak....it will go in your stack of "keepers" for recipes!


THE WEDGE SALAD 

* This salad calls for crumbled bacon.  There is nothing worse then the smell of greasy bacon in your house when you are expecting guests.  I now buy the pre-packaged crumbled bacon that is found in the salad dressing isle.  It is made by Hormel and Oscar Meyer.  So much easier!

• 1 head iceberg lettuce cut into 6 wedges
• 1 cup chopped grape tomatoes (try to get the bright red ones they look great against the white dressing)
• 6 TB. crumbled bacon
• 2/3 cup buttermmilk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 6 oz. crumbled blue cheese
• sald and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Stir the buttermilk, sour cream, and garlic in a medium bowl and blend.  Mix in 2/3 of the blue cheese.  Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cover the dressing and let sit for at least 2 hours.  This dressing actually tastes better the next day after all the ingredients have combined.  I would suggest making the dressing a day in advanced.
3. Arrange the iceberg wedges on small salad plates.  Spoon the dressing over the lettuce.

4. Sprinkle the grape tomatoes, bacon and remaining blue cheese over the top of the wedges.
5. Serve

*If the dressing seems a bit thick when you go to make the salads you can add a bit of milk to the dressing and mix well.

* This recipe is adapted from a recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentis