Blue cheese crumbles are an excellent addition to salads to balance bitter greens or give contrast to sweet fruits. The distinctive flavor of blue cheese comes from mold spores that are added to the cheese in the manufacturing process. Blue cheese varieties differ in strength and flavor, from the mild and creamy Bavarian to the very pungent Maytag. Add blue cheese crumbles to salads with greens, apples, honey, nuts or strawberries to complement the flavors.
Blue Cheese Apple Salad
Step 1
Whisk together in a small bowl vinegar, sour cream, buttermilk, honey garlic and scallion.
Step 2
Add slowly, whisking constantly, olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste.
Step 3
Wash and cut arugula and endive into bite-sized pieces. Wash the spinach. Add the greens into a salad bowl.
Step 4
Add dressing to the salad bowl, just enough to moisten the greens. Toss to coat.
Step 5
Add sliced strawberries, apple, pecans and blue cheese crumbles. Toss to mix. Serve with warm, toasted bread. Serves four to six people. You can also replace the apple with pear, and the pecans with almonds or other nuts.
Cobb Salad
Step 1
Add Bibb lettuce or your choice of salad greens on a plate.
Step 2
Add chopped watercress, diced avocado, crumbled bacon, diced eggs, chopped tomatoes and crumbled blue cheese on top of the lettuce. You can also add grilled and sliced chicken breast to the salad.
Step 3
Garnish with fresh chives and drizzle with a vinaigrette dressing. Serve with warm bread or bread crumbles. Makes around four servings.
Tips and Warnings
- Create your own blue cheese salad by mixing your choice of salad greens, dried or fresh fruits, bell pepper, tomato and cucumber, and serve it with blue cheese crumbles. Use a commercial salad dressing or make your own by mixing vinaigrette, honey, salt and black pepper together.
- Be sure to use your blue cheese within a few days of purchase to avoid over-pungency.
Things You'll Need
- ½ cider vinegar
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 3 tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 scallion, minced
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 4 cups arugula
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 2 endives
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 apple, sliced
- ½ cup toasted pecan halves
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
- or
- 1 head of Bibb lettuce
- 1 bunch of watercress
- 1 ripe avocado
- 8 slices cooked crisp bacon
- 1 cup of grilled chicken breast
- 3 hard-boiled eggs
- 3 tomatoes
- 1/4 cup blue cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh chives
References
- "Joy of Cooking"; Irma S. Rombauer, et al.; 1997
- The Cook's Thesaurus: Blue Cheese
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