The Wedge

Last week, I visited New Orleans with my sister Julie to attend the Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Annual Sales Conference. For those who think that I get paid the big bucks writing this weekly blog for my family and friends, spoiler alert…I do not. Among the many hats I wear, Social Media Manager is one of them. I’ve dabbled in it for a client in the food sector (a logical extension) and about six months ago started consulting with Julie for her real estate business. I love creating content to help build her brand. Julie certainly doesn’t need my assistance in buying or selling homes (she’s a Real Estate Rock Star!) but creating and projecting a cohesive image across social media platforms is a great way to increase visibility and connect with the community. Small professional plug, hit me up if this is something that you might be interested in. I’m taking new clients!

Back to New Orleans and eventually The Wedge. Oh did we have fun! Julie and I share an intense love of eating and the desire to explore any new destination through its food culture. Before our trip, I had reached out to friends with NOLA roots to get recommendations, read any restaurant scene article I could find and created our hit list. Of course, with a conference schedule that was jam-packed with compelling content we had limitations on time but we managed to hit some key restaurants and didn’t have a disappointing bite. As a matter of fact, you could say that we ended our trip on a high note with an incredible lunch at Turkey and the Wolf. If you know, you know and if you don’t, go ahead and order their cookbook for “A collection of happy recipes for fun times.” Julie, I’m not sure why my cookbook arrived next day and the one I ordered for you has been delayed until tomorrow, but I promise, it’s en route!

As for The Wedge, if this post does nothing but remind you how awesome and easy wedge salads are to make and enjoy, then my job here is done. This recipe happens to feature a delicious home-made blue cheese dressing and the most brilliant touch of showering your wedge of crisp lettuce with “an offensive amount of the Everything But The Bagel stuff.” The original recipe has you make your own seasoning (easy and certainly makes sense for a restaurant using massive quantities) but for our purposes I would say go pick up a bottle at Trader Joe’s or grab any of the copycats in the spice aisle at your local supermarket. The seasoning is equal parts sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried minced garlic and dried minced onion, toasted and cooled for anyone interested in making their own.

The original recipe also includes bacon which I omitted on the two nights in a row that I served this salad. I’m sure that for bacon-lovers, it adds a great touch, so I’ve left it in the recipe below. Feel free to omit.

Bottom line, make The Wedge on repeat and if you are visiting New Orleans put Turkey and the Wolf (and their sister restaurant Molly’s Rise and Shine) at the tippy top of your list. Enjoy!

The Wedge

The Wedge

Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 lb slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces optional
  • 2 heads iceberg lettuce
  • kosher salt and cracked black pepper
  • 2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
  • splash of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 juicy lemon
  • small handful fresh dill sprigs, torn
  • Everything But The Bagel Seasoning

Blue Cheese Dressing

  • 10 oz blue cheese, crumbled about 1 1/4 cups
  • 1 c Duke's mayo
  • 1/2 c sour cream
  • 1/4 c buttermilk I made my own with milk + lemon
  • 1 Tbls fresh lemon juice more if you like
  • 1 Tbls poppy seeds I didn't have any
  • 1 1/2 tsp Louisiana style hot sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1/2 tsp celery seed
  • kosher salt

Instructions

  • If including bacon, line a plate with paper towels. Put the bacon in a skillet, set it over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown and almost crispy, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the bacon onto the plate.
  • Ditch any bruised outer leaves of your lettuce heads and cut each head into quarters. Cut out the lower stem (nub) of each wedge and put on plate or platter.
  • Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and then pour on the dressing (recipe below) and an offensive amount of the Everything But The Bagel Seasoning.
  • In a small bowl, gently toss the cherry tomatoes with the oil, a generous squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Garnish the salad with the tomatoes, dill and bacon (if using). Crack some more pepper on top.

Blue Cheese Dressing

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients adding some salt and lemon juice until your happy.