Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 oz. blue cheese; crumbled*, separated
- 3 - 4 Tbsp. olive oil**
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
- Pinch of salt
- Buttermilk or cream (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
Preparation:
1. Place 4 ounces of cheese in small food processor or blender and add everything except chives. Process until nearly smooth.
2. Taste and adjust oil, lemon juice, and pepper to taste. This is when you may want to add more oil, some cream or buttermilk if it's too potent or too thick.
3. Scrape into a bowl or jar and add remaining blue cheese and chives.
I love this stuff not only on salads, but smeared on crackers and stuffed into celery spears as an appetizer. It's also wonderful on steamed brocolli or asparagus. If you refrigerate, it will tend to solidify, so let it sit out on the counter for an hour before using on a salad.
*Note 1: I recommend in order of flavor, Point Reyes Blue, Maytag Blue, one of the Danish blues.
**Note 2: This dressing should have a distinct taste of olive oil. It's actually a vinaigrette except that the cheese is relied on for acidity and is processed to produce something closer to what most of us consider a blue cheese dressing.
