Emeril's Wedgie Salad

Ingredients

• 8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 large head iceberg lettuce, cored, washed, and patted dry
• 8 slices cooked bacon
• Louisiana Garlic Bread, recipe follows
• Leftover Garlic Bread Croutons, recipe follows
• Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Directions

Combine half of the blue cheese, the lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt and black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Using the back of a fork, mash the mixture together to form a thick paste. Drizzle in the olive oil, stirring continuously with the fork until the mixture is creamy. Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, if needed.

Cut the lettuce into 4 wedges and place each wedge on a salad plate. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the dressing over each wedge. Crumble remaining cheese over each wedge and arrange 2 slices of bacon around each plate. Place croutons around each salad wedge. Garnish with additional cracked black pepper and fresh chives and serve immediately.

Leftover Garlic Bread Croutons:

2 cups leftover garlic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Emeril's Essence, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss garlic bread with the olive oil in a large bowl. Season lightly with the Essence and spread bread onto a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crisped through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Yield: 2 cups croutons

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.