Creamy Herb Dressed Lettuce Steaks

Wednesday 9 August 2017





Its hard to believe that August is already here and our salad days will soon be winding down and we will be moving into a type of autumnal/harvest kind of cooking!  


I want to wave a magic "time-stand-still" wand over August and keep it with us for much, much longer than it usually stays.  Why is summer always so slow to arrive and in such a hurry to leave!!



Creamy Herb Dressed Lettuce Steaks




I love Iceberg Lettuce.  It has such a lovely benign flavour  . . .  not too sharp, not bitter . . .  just right.  I am afraid it gets a bad rap these days.  


There are so many other lettuces available with prettier rufflier dresses, more colourful and flavourful to be sure.  Don't ever underestimate the appeal of Iceberg Lettuce however  . . .



Creamy Herb Dressed Lettuce Steaks


Its crisp and never limp.  It has a beautiful crunch and mild flavour, and it never, ever wilts under pressure! 


 It can stand up to the most robust of flavours and ingredients very well, thank you very much!






It is the lettuce of my childhood.  We never ever had anything else, except for maybe leaf lettuce from the garden . . . and to this day iceberg lettuce is the only lettuce my mother will eat.  



She totally eschews any other kind.  That is just one of my mother's best qualities. She is loyal to the core . . .  to political parties, to grocery shops, to hair dressers, to cars . . . and yes, to lettuce. God bless you mom. We love you.



Creamy Herb Dressed Lettuce Steaks





Seriously though, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING on the planet that can compare to the beauty, flavour and crunch of a salad made with iceberg lettuce, especially when presented with and served with the most perfect accompaniments. 



That's one of the beauties of iceberg lettuce.  It never minds sharing the plate with a willing dance partner, and it goes very well with lots of other flavours.  It is like the chicken breast of the lettuce world. It makes a beautiful canvas.



Creamy Herb Dressed Lettuce Steaks




In this instance  I have cut the lettuce crosswise horizontally . . .  into half inch "steaks."  Yes, you will need a knife and a fork to eat it, but just wait, it gets even better. 


The "steaks" are drizzled  with a beautiful creamy herb buttermilk dressing . . .  with just enough flavour to really bring out the best of that crisp and crunchy iceberg lettuce  . . .



Creamy Herb Dressed Lettuce Steaks





There is a sprinkling of finely julienned radish for some heat and colour, a bit of mustard cress for a bit more colour and flavour, and then . . . finally . . .  instead of croutons . . .  some toasted salt and pepper pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped.  


This is a salad I would be happy serving to my lady friends for lunch, and I guarantee they would all be pleased as punch with it. This is a salad that would have been quite at home at the Manor for one of Madam's luncheons.







*Creamy Herb Dressed Lettuce Steaks*
Serves 4

A very attractive salad with a lovely herbed dressing.  Pretty enough for a ladies lunch.
 

For the Creamy Herb Dressing:
small bunch dill, stems removed and discarded (1/4 cup, loosely packed)
1 large bunch of flat leaf parsley, stems removed and discarded (3/4 cup loosely packed)
2 TBS loosely packed thyme leaves
1/2 handful chives, finely snipped (1/3 cup)
165g good quality mayonnaise (3/4 cup)
120ml buttermilk (1/2 cup)
2 TBS cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
few dashes hot pepper sauce 

You will also need:
1 head of iceberg lettuce, washed, left whole and outside leaves removed and discarded
1 punnet of mustard cress (micro leaves)
4 large radishes julienned
65g shelled roasted salt and pepper pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped 





Finely chop the dill leaves, flat leaf parsley, and thyme leaves. Set aside with the chives.  Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, buttermilk, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce.  Stir in the herbs.  Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

 
Make sure your lettuce is dry and quite chilled.  Cut crosswise into four 1/2 inch thick "steaks", removing the rounded ends.  Save these for another salad, another day.  Place each lettuce "steak" onto a chilled plate for serving.  Drizzle each with some of the dressing.  Scatter over the julienned radishes, mustard cress and chopped nuts.  Serve immediately.


Note - a bit of grated cheese is also nice scattered over top, or blue cheese crumbles.





You could also grated a bit of cheese on top if you wanted.  Blue cheese crumbles would be nice, or a bit of sharp cheddar, maybe even some Parmesan shavings, but try not to mess with it too much.  



This is beautiful just as it is.  Bon appetit!

4 comments

  1. You know what?WE just bought an Iceberg..it's been years..and I thought the same thing..how well it folds p and how very pretty it actually is..you can always add arugula..a bit of mesclun..but for today..I love it:) I love the baby romaines but have not found any..lovely salad!

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    1. Thanks Monique! Baby Romaine is what we call Baby Gem here in the UK, and it can often be quite bitter. It lends itself more to a dressing which is assertive and can help to balance out its strong flavours. This creamy herbed dressing goes beautifully with iceberg and actually makes it shine! The mustard cress added just a tiny bit of extra colour and flavour, not too much, but just enough! Its funny how in-tune our culinary journies are with each others! I love it! xo

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  2. We had a very similar salad recently! We loved it with the Little Gem lettuce and creamy pistachio dressing. So good! Love the cress on yours.

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    Replies
    1. I did see yours the other day and it looked gorgeous and is on my bucket list of recipes to try! The Creamy Pistachio Dressing looked fabulous! I love Baby Gems! I do a salad with them that has a spring onion and blue cheese dressing that I totally adore! Thanks so much for your sweet comment! The cress does add a bit of colour and some flavour! xo

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