Blue Cheese Salad: Perfect Pairing Ideas And Recipes

Blue cheese is a popular ingredient in salads, with its creamy texture and strong flavour providing a good base for a variety of other ingredients. Blue cheese goes well with sweet and salty flavours, as well as crunchy textures. Salads are a great way to use up leftovers, and blue cheese is a good ingredient to build a salad around as it can be paired with many different foods.

Blue cheese and bacon

Ingredients

For a simple blue cheese and bacon salad, start with a base of mixed lettuce leaves, such as little gem, curly lettuce, radicchio, and rocket (arugula). You could also add some spinach or kale for extra nutrition. Then, cook and chop the bacon into small pieces. You can also fry the bacon and crumble it or use bagged real bacon crumbles.

Toppings

For toppings, you can add sliced apples, celery, radishes, cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes. Apples go well with blue cheese as they add some sweetness to balance out the saltiness of the cheese. You can also add some crunch to the salad with pecans, walnuts, or flaked almonds. If you want to include some extra protein, consider adding some cooked chorizo or leftover shredded chicken.

Dressing

For the dressing, you can make a homemade blue cheese dressing by blending blue cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, and fresh scallions or chives. You can also add lemon juice or white vinegar to the dressing for some acidity. Alternatively, you can use a store-bought blue cheese dressing.

Serving

This salad can be served as a main dish or a side dish. If serving as a main dish, it will serve 2-3 people, and if serving as a side dish, it will serve 4-6 people. You can also pair it with steak, grilled meats, or BBQ.

Blue cheese and apple

When making a blue cheese and apple salad, it's important to choose the right type of apple. Green apples are too tart, and red apples are too grainy. Gala or Fuji apples are good choices as they are the sweetest.

You can also add other ingredients to your salad to complement the blue cheese and apple. Here are some ideas:

• Bacon: Crispy bacon adds a salty, crunchy element to the salad.
• Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, or candied walnuts provide a nice crunch and go well with the blue cheese.
• Dried fruit: Raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, or golden raisins add a chewy texture and a burst of sweetness.
• Lettuce: Use a mix of lettuce types such as romaine, red leaf, or spring mix to add colour and texture to the salad.
• Dressing: A simple dressing of olive oil, dijon mustard, and a touch of maple syrup or honey can bring all the flavours together.

• Chop up your chosen apple into thin slices or small pieces.
• Add the apple to a bowl along with the remaining ingredients, such as chopped onions, nuts, dried fruit, and lettuce.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients: olive oil, dijon mustard, and a touch of maple syrup or honey.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well coated.
• Finally, sprinkle crumbled blue cheese over the salad just before serving.

This salad is best served fresh, but if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. It's best to dress the salad just before serving to prevent the lettuce from becoming soggy.

Blue cheese and walnuts

A blue cheese and walnut salad can be a simple combination of just these two ingredients with some salad leaves, or it can be made more complex with the addition of other ingredients. For example, a blue cheese and walnut salad could include:

• Salad leaves such as arugula, spinach, or romaine lettuce
• Olive oil or avocado oil
• Lime juice or lemon juice
• Dijon mustard
• Black pepper
• Celery
• Apples or pears
• Red onion
• Chives
• Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes

To make a blue cheese and walnut salad, first whisk together the dressing ingredients. Then, place the salad leaves on a plate and scatter the walnuts and blue cheese on top. Finally, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss lightly to combine.

Blue cheese and avocado

Ingredients

For a simple blue cheese and avocado salad, start with a base of mixed greens such as iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, arugula, or spinach. You can also add other types of lettuce, such as little gem, curly lettuce, or radicchio for extra crunch.

The star of the salad is, of course, the blue cheese. You can use any variety of blue cheese that you prefer, such as Stilton, Danish blue, dolcelatte, Roquefort, cambozola, or Gorgonzola. Crumble the blue cheese over the salad to add a creamy, salty, and peppery flavour.

Avocado is a great addition to this salad as it provides a creamy texture and a mild flavour that pairs well with the blue cheese. Cut the avocado into bite-sized pieces and toss it with lemon juice to prevent it from browning.

To add some crunch to the salad, you can include toasted pecans or walnuts. These nuts also add a nice salty flavour that complements the other ingredients. You can also try using spicy candied pecans for an extra kick.

Other ingredients that go well with blue cheese and avocado include cherry or grape tomatoes, red or white onion, chives, celery, and radishes. You can also add some protein to the salad with crispy bacon or grilled chicken.

Dressing

A popular dressing choice for a blue cheese and avocado salad is a honey mustard vinaigrette. You can make this dressing by whisking together ingredients such as garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and black pepper.

Another option for a dressing is a blue cheese dressing. You can make your own by pureeing ingredients such as blue cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, garlic, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and parsley.

Serving Suggestions

This salad can be served as a starter, a side dish, or a main course. If serving as a main dish, you can add some grilled steak, grilled meats, or BBQ to make it more filling. It can also be paired with sourdough croutons or served with a slice of white bread or a bagel.

The blue cheese and avocado salad is a tasty and nutritious option that can be easily adapted to your liking. Enjoy experimenting with different ingredients and serving suggestions!

Blue cheese and steak

Choosing the Right Steak

For your salad, choose a cut of steak that is lean, full of flavour, and quick to cook on the grill. Skirt steak, flank steak, hanger steak, and flat iron steak are all good options. If you're looking for something a little more affordable, sirloin steak works great too.

Preparing the Steak

To prepare your steak for the grill, start by patting it dry with paper towels. Then, brush the steak with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. For a smoky flavour, use McCormick's Smoky Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Grill your steak on high heat for about four minutes on each side for a medium-rare sear. Adjust the cooking time to your desired level of doneness. After grilling, let the steak rest for about five to ten minutes before slicing it thinly against the grain.

Creating the Salad

For the salad base, choose a combination of leafy greens such as iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, or spring greens. You can also add other vegetables like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and avocados. If you want a crunchy texture and some extra flavour, consider grilling your vegetables along with the steak.

The Blue Cheese Element

Of course, the star ingredient in your salad is blue cheese. You can use it in multiple ways to enhance the flavour and texture of your salad.

Blue Cheese Dressing

A creamy, chunky blue cheese dressing is a must for your salad. You can make your own by blending ingredients like sour cream, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, vinegar, milk, and, of course, blue cheese crumbles. Store-bought blue cheese dressing is also an option.

Blue Cheese Crumbles

Add some extra blue cheese crumbles on top of your salad for a semi-chunky texture and an extra punch of flavour.

Homemade Croutons

For an even more indulgent treat, make your own croutons by tossing cubed white bread in olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder, then baking until golden brown. These homemade croutons will add a unique, fluffy texture to your salad.

Putting It All Together

Now it's time to assemble your blue cheese and steak salad. On a large platter, arrange your grilled lettuce, onions, avocado, tomatoes, and sliced steak. Drizzle generously with blue cheese dressing and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles. For an extra touch of freshness, garnish with minced chives.

Your blue cheese and steak salad is now ready to serve! This hearty and indulgent dish is perfect for a summer barbecue or a special occasion. Enjoy the combination of juicy steak and creamy, tangy blue cheese in every bite.

Frequently asked questions