Cobb Salad

I finally made it to see Julie and Julia today and I loved it! Really though, what wouldn't I love? Julia Child is a longtime hero of mine, add a food blogger becoming a stellar success, and Meryl Streep on top of that?

I didn't know when I decided to make Cobb Salad last night, for the first time, there would be a restaurant scene in the movie, with Cobb Salads ordered all around. I didn't even know, yet, I was going to see the movie today. I am so glad my husband asked me out, on a rainy afternoon, to see a matinee.

I used the traditional ingredients for the salad; chicken, bacon, blue cheese, avocado, tomato, egg, plus lettuce. I handled all my ingredients very carefully. I bought a head of Romaine lettuce, which I washed, snaped into pieces (never wrung, twisted, or cut with a knife) then spun dry. I wrapped it in kitchen towels, then refrigerated until it became extra crisp. I cooked the bacon, then chicken breasts, which I cut into strips, on my stovetop grill pan.

I did not use a traditional composition for the salad. In the original, the toppings were diced and arranged in rows covering the lettuce. I didn't chop the ingredients too much so I could have more control of fork by forkful tasting. I wanted to choose just the right amount of say, chicken and tomato, bacon and avocado, egg to cheese.

Here is the dressing I made, which maintains the Worchestershire of the original, but not nearly the amount of oil.

Cobb Salad Dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
Whisk together all ingredients except the oil. Then, add in a slow, steady stream, the olive oil, whisking briskly, until all is blended.

Bon Appetit!