Cobb Salad Recipe

Cobb Salad

By Sara Perry from Chronicle Books' Everything Tastes Better With Bacon

Cobb Salad

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon tarragon or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced capers
1 green onion, both white and green parts, chopped to yield 1 tablespoon, or 1 tablespoon minced chives
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad:

3 to 4 cups finely chopped inner leaves of romaine lettuce
4 to 6 crisply cooked thick bacon slices (4 to 6 ounces uncooked), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 pound chicken breasts, cooked and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 large tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 medium avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 green onions, both white and green parts, chopped
1 or 2 hard-cooked eggs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 ounces Roquefort cheese, or best blue cheese available, crumbled

Serves 4

This and many other wonderful
recipes may be found in
Everything Tastes Better With Bacon
from Chronicle Books

Some say actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr., created it - that late one night at Hollywood's Brown Derby Restaurant, the hungry screen idol and the restaurant's owner, Bob Cobb, raided the kitchen and tossed together a salad of leftovers.

Cobb's widow had a different story. She said that, after a difficult session with the dentist, Mr. Cobb went to work hungry and irritable. He asked the restaurant's chef to fix something he could eat. The chef looked around for ingredients he knew his boss would like and chopped them up as a salad. In either version, a star was born.

In the original, the dressing was a red wine vinaigrette. This rendition is tossed with a creamy tarragon-caper dressing that gives the whole creation a tangy, fresh taste.

To make the dressing: The dressing is best if made several hours ahead or the day before. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, and anchovy paste. Stir in the parsley, capers, green onion, and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate in a covered container until ready to serve.

To make the salad: In a large salad bowl, gently toss together the romaine, bacon, chicken, tomato, avocado, green onions, eggs, and cheese, lifting and blending the ingredients. Pour one-half of the dressing over the salad and toss to blend. Taste, adding additional dressing if needed. Serve immediately.