Lettuce Please You… On the Grill
Grilled Boston Bibb Lettuce with Blue Cheese Buttermilk dressing.
Last weekend, I flew down to Raleigh, NC for a family celebration combining birthdays and Mother’s Day. I had hoped to do all the cooking since I was the only cook who didn’t fall into a celebratory category. Dreaming of a large kitchen and a beautiful, big outdoor space for grilling, I came armed with great ideas for a fabulous grilled feast — succulent slow cooked meats, grilled oysters, a lovely tuna and watermelon ceviche.
And then, I realized, it was my family I was visiting. A family of planners and organizers and over-the-top doers. The menu was set and I was to bring the sides. Not my best category. Mains and appetizers are my thing — exciting sauces, relishes, chutneys and stuff you put on bread that make people cry tears of joy. What was I going to do? A nice arugula and pear salad is great for an elegant meal out but wasn’t going to cut the mustard at the family grill-fest. In my family, everyone leans a bit towards the classics so I needed to pull off at least a couple crowd pleasers. And, the potato salad was already a done deal. Damn!
I will admit, I cheated a little and added another starch into the mix. I went Italian to play to the crowd and offered up a wonderfully simple asparagus risotto (not photographed because I forgot to set aside the spears to make it pretty!). I then played down to the kids with a salad of watermelon and cucumber with a balsamic mint dressing — a big hit!! So far, so good. Then I went a little crazy. I thought of those big chunks of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese and bacon they serve at just about every steak restaurant. And then, it came to me. What would happen if we slather it with oil and throw it on the grill for a few minutes. Kind of weird but it was truly lovely! The edges of the leaves caramelize just a bit but the lettuce stays crunchy and fresh (much different than when the deli heats up your panini and the lettuce just tastes hot and nasty). The dressing is tangy and cool to offset the caramelized leaves and a sprinkle of blue cheese (just on one half so as not to offend the blue cheese haters) hit just the right note.
The best part is how easy this side salad is to make. I made the dressing the night before, and the lettuce takes four minutes on a medium hot grill. Easy! If you’re really running low on time, skip the homemade dressing and drizzle some bottled blue cheese over it. It definitely beats halving cherry tomatoes and slicing carrots for a salad no one but your mom eats!
Recipe: Grilled Boston Bibb Lettuce with Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing
Serves: 8
Ingredients
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/8 cup creme fraiche
1 Tbl. mayonnaise
1 Tbl. diced fresh chives
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Sea Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable Oil
2 Large heads Boston bibb or butter lettuce, halved lengthwise
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
Preparation
In a medium bowl, whisk the first 5 ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared up to one day ahead and kept refridgerated).
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill to medium high heat (500°). Lightly oil the grill grates. Rub the cut side of the lettuce with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill cut side down until wilted, lightly charred and the cores are crisp but tender — about 3 - 4 minutes.
Transfer the lettuce to a platter and cut in half horizontally for make 8 pieces. Drizzle with the dressing and add the blue cheese crumbles.
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