Devon '14

I have been reporting annually on the Red Devon Conferences for several years now---Gourmet Beef on Grass. This year we visited Brookview Farm in Winchester Kentucky, just east of Lexington. This is an old family farm dating back to the 18^th century but Jacob Owens and his wife and children started restructuring the family farm in 2000----growing grass finished beef without steroids, antibiotics, etc. and he came to Devon in 2006. The Devon breed is coming back. One producer from Utah told us anecdotally about his county agent holding a taste test of several grain finished steaks from several breeds and just to round things out he asked Kelly Heath for one of his grass finished Devon steaks. No special preparation, Kelly just went to his freezer and got one. And he won.

Another taste test closer to home was reported in the ‘Devon USA’ spring ’14 issue. Dr. Ron Harrell (cardiologist from Dothan) and his brother-in-law Les Nichols wondered how Jeff Moore’s Dixie Devon would compare with some other breeds on their farm. Four steers (a Devon cross, a purebred Angus, a purebred South Poll and a Waygu/Angus cross) were grazed together for over a year on Dr. Harrell’s pastures. The farm is only twenty miles from the University of Florida experiment station in Mariana. All the steers were hauled and processed the same day, hung for 12 days of aging and then cut by a professor from the University of Florida. A burger, a ribeye, and a brisket were prepared by professional chefs, seasoned only with salt and pepper, and served blind to the panel of owners and a professional taste tester who put the Devon on top. One chef, Forest Dilmore, a five-time southeastern champion brisket cooker said the Devon was the best brisket he had seen. He said he came with the preconceived notion that the Waygu cross would be first and then the Angus with the others bringing up the rear. He was surprised with the marbling with all these grass finished steers, but the Devon was on top.

The Conference had speakers on various topics. We did a pasture walk and on this farm saw some beautiful Devons. A show and sale was a part of the weekend. All the food was prepared on the farm from Brookview’s Devon. The farm had an old post office next door which has been converted to the Graze Market and Café, whose chef, South African Craig de Villiers, uses locally produced products in all his menus. He closed his Café to cook for us for two days.

One interesting presentation was Dr. Greg Renfro from the University of Kentucky butchering a half steer showing us how it is done and where the different cuts come from and why they are tender or maybe not so much. He noted that the flat iron steak was the 2^nd most tender cut in the entire carcass. Some pieces can be made more tender depending on how they are cut.

A recipe from the Graze restaurant cooks the skirt steak which is a long flat steak with a fibrous grain, and comes from the underbelly of the steer and is well marbled with fat. This recipe is soaked in a bourbon-based marinate, which lends a bourbon flavor to the dish.

Kentucky Bourbon Skirt Steak

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

½ cup bourbon

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. Tabasco sauce

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. cornstarch

3 lb. skirt steak (grass-fed)

Baked beans for serving with steak

In a bowl, combine the bourbon, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire, Tabasco, mustard and cornstarch and stir until sugar has dissolved.

Place the steak in a plastic bag and pour the marinade over the meat. Seal the bag and marinade the beef for the day.

Preheat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and place it on the grill pan. Cook, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare, or until done to your liking.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and rest for 5 minutes. Cut the steak into thin slices and arrange on a warmed platter. Serve with the baked beans.

I also bought a 2 lb. grass-fed brisket form Whole Foods and cooked it for 12 hours on 215°F. I only used salt and pepper and let the fat layer be on top. Not a bad slow roast and really simple.

Croque Monsieur

We were traveling to our annual Red Devon conference which was in Lexington, Kentucky this year, but stopped along the way in Birmingham to have lunch at one of Frank Stitt’s restaurants, Fon Fon.  Fon Fon is Frank’s nod to French and I was ready for a French treat. We chose to eat out back under the arbor as it was a beautiful day. As you know I go on and on about Frank Stitt, so I had a surprise when he came into the restaurant to eat beside us on the patio. He was eating with a chef from Monroe, Louisiana who was cooking at Highlands that evening. Since I know him and he knows me “somewhat” I told him I was still writing about him in the Andalusia Star News and probably everyone was tired of me going on and on about him. That got a good laugh out of him. What does Frank Stitt eat for lunch? Well, he had a glass of white wine and he and the chef from Monroe shared a charcuterie plate. I never saw his main course. They talked of new restaurants and new chefs in New Orleans, but I tried not to listen! But a treat for me to eat at his restaurant and see him again!

Our meal was excellent. Starting with a sazarac, (which was good as any in New Orleans), then we also had a charcuterie plate, consisting of many tasty meats, chicken sausage, radishes, small slices of potatoes, and small pickles. For my main course I chose a croque monsieur, the classic French ham and cheese sandwich. It was so good and I realized that I had not had one this good in years. I came home and found several different versions of how to prepare this sandwich. There are different versions as to the type of ham or cheese you can use. Most use Swiss or Gruyѐre cheese, Black Forest ham, or boiled ham.

I have given two recipes below so you can have a choice for your sandwich. One is taken from a bistro in Paris and one is from Harry’s Bar Cookbook (Harry’s Bar is in Venice). How could you go wrong with either recipe?

 

Taken from the Paris Café Cookbook, by Daniel Young, 1998.

AU GENERAL LA FAYETTE’S

Croque Monsieur

Makes 4 servings

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup flour

2 ¼ cups milk

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pinch of ground nutmeg

2 cups (about ¾ pound) grated Gruyѐre or Swiss cheese

½ cup light colored beer

4 slices French country bread (large round loaf)

4 slices ham

Make a Mornay sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and mix briskly with a whisk for 2 minutes.

Still over low heat, add 2 cups of the milk, continuing to mix briskly with the whisk. When the sauce comes to a boil, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add ½ cup of the Gruyѐre to complete the Mornay sauce, remove from the heat and let cool.

Combine the remaining ¼ cup milk and the beer in a bowl. Add the remaining Gruyѐre to this liquid, let soak 2 minutes, and drain.

Top each slice of bread liberally with the Mornay sauce, sprinkle with the soaked Gruyѐre, and cook in a toaster oven or under a broiler until golden brown.

 

Taken from the Harry’s Bar Cookbook, by Arrigo Cipriani, published 1991.

This Croque Monsieur is fried in olive oil.

Makes six sandwiches

½ pound Swiss cheese at room temperature, diced

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon dry mustard or 1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne mustard

Salt

Cream, if needed, to thin the cheese mixture

12 thin slices homemade-style unsweetened white bread, crusts removed

¼ pound smoked boiled ham, diced

Olive oil for frying

Put the cheese, egg yolk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and cayenne in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Taste and season with salt. If the mixture is too thick to spread easily, thin it with a little cream.

Spread the cheese mixture over one side of all the bread slices. Arrange the ham over the cheese on half the pieces of bread and invert the remaining bread over the ham. Press the sandwiches together firmly.

Film the bottom of a heavy skillet with oil and heat it over medium-high heat until it is very hot. Add as many sandwiches as will fit in the pan and fry, turning once, until they are golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve hot, wrapped in a paper napkin.

 

England

On our way to Sussex, south of London, we visited Churchill’s country retreat, Chartwell. My husband thinks Churchill was the greatest man of the 20^th century. The dining room is large but cozy, looking out over the weald of Kent. A Churchill quote captured my attention, “My idea of a good dinner is first to have good food, then discuss good food and after this good food has been discussed, to discuss a good topic with me as chief conversationalist.” But of course he started the evening with his dry martini. His buddy, Franklin Roosevelt, liked his martinis too, and even had his own equipment and miniature bottles strapped into a hard little suitcase!

We spent the rest of the trip at Stone House in the village of Rushlake Green in Sussex. This country house hotel is still the home of the Dunn’s whose ancestors built the house in 1495. There is an 18^th century addition with two large sitting rooms off the two-story entrance hall. Our room was in the 15^th century section. Drinks can be had in the parlor in the evening. My husband was excited to find Talisker Scotch whiskey available. It is a smoky, single malt made in Skye and not widely available. So Scotch it was even in southern England. Of course there was talk about the upcoming vote on the independence of Scotland. My heart said yes, but I think the people chose the next week more on the finances of the move to vote no.

Dinner was served in the old section of the house and was quite nice. We were told when we booked that we needed to dress for dinner. The lady of the house, Mrs. Dunn, is the chef and I will share with you some of her dishes that we most liked.  There was a great endive salad, followed by the main course of a chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and chorizo and wrapped with prosciutto.  This was accompanied by several vegetables from the garden served family style: new potatoes, butternut squash, and cabbage. Again the kitchen garden comes into play these days in Britain. A beautiful walnut torte was for dessert.

In Sussex we visited two more gardens of the 20^th century. Perhaps the greatest is the Sissinghurst Castle garden of the eccentric Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicholson. Christopher Lloyd who developed the garden at Great Dixter is also no longer in residence. Christo, as his friends called him, died just a few years ago and those friends established a trust to keep and maintain the gardens. Here the garden rooms are so densely planted it is hard to walk. Dahlias are a highlight of this garden at this time of the year. Another design element I especially liked was his massing of potted plants with different blooms, foliage, and color near the entrance doors. Another fun space was a rose garden designed by Lutyens that he pulled up and filled with exotic plants reminiscent of a tropical garden. Two other places we revisited were Batemans, the home of Rudyard Kipling and the 15^th century moated house, Ightham Mote, with the only Grade I listed dog kennel (dog house) in England!

Endive Salad

2 servings

Chop together 4 endives (they are small), 1 avocado (chopped), ¼ cup of pinenuts, ½ cup of lardons, and some sultanas can be used (I did not have any so did not use them). Toss this together with a vinaigrette dressing of your choice. This was crunchy and delicious.

 

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Chorizo

Serves 2

2 skinless chicken breasts

4 ozs. goat cheese

4 ozs. chorizo (You can buy ground chorizo sausage at most grocery stores.)

½ cups of grapes

4 pieces of prosciutto

Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of saran wrap until thin but you are still able to roll.

In a food processor mix the goat cheese, chorizo, and grapes until a nice firm mixture.

Spread ½ of the mixture on each chicken breast and roll up and tuck in the ends. Place the prosciutto on top of each chicken breast.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting. Serve with potatoes and any green vegetable.

 

New Potatoes

Take 1 lb. of small new potatoes and bake them for 20 minutes at 350°. After baking, place them in a small skillet with 1 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and ¼ cup of fresh mint. Mix together, add salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Highgrove

We have just returned from a wonderful week in England visiting country houses and gardens. Our first stop was Tetbury at the Snooty Fox Inn. Supper was bangers and mash in the pub. Breakfast is my husband’s favorite meal in England---the full cooked English breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, toast). The only part of it he eschews is the baked beans.

Our main goal was to visit Highgrove, the home and gardens of Prince Charles. Out tickets were purchased in May since they are limited in number and the gardens are not open when the Prince is there. When we visited his grandmother, the late Queen Mother’s garden in Scotland last year, we had also to plan our trip around where the Prince was, or more correctly, where he was not. We had directions to Highgrove, but there was no sign---at all. We made a turn, drove down a road and came to a security guard. Security was tight. We had to show out passports! and tickets at two different checkpoints and no photos were allowed---anywhere. We had a guide with us at all times, ostensibly to guide and answer questions, and I suspect to keep us in tow. Highgrove is a multifaceted and beautiful garden and the guide shared with us His Royal Highness’ (as she referred to him) ideas and preferences. There are 12 gardeners to carry out his organic approach to cultivating old plants and heritage livestock. He even likes to use draft horses to assist with the garden work rather than mechanized equipment.

After our two hour tour we ended in the restaurant just in time for lunch. The produce from the kitchen garden, which unfortunately we did not get to visit, is used to prepare the dishes offered. We had a leek and potato soup with a cheese scone, which was enhanced by a spicy fruit chutney. I liked the chutney so much I brought three jars home. I have developed my own leek and potato soup recipe and used a cheese scone recipe from the King Arthur’s Flour Baker’s Companion. This was called the “gardener’s lunch” Not too much but just right! I was looking back in my journal and noted we ate a hot soup and scone last year at the Castle of Mey, the Queen Mother’s home.

 

Leek and Potato Soup

Serves 4

 Sauté two leeks in a tablespoon of butter for about 10 minutes. Add 1 clove garlic and sauté for another minute. Add 2 peeled and cubed Yukon Gold potatoes and to the leeks and garlic. Then add 4 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Cool slightly. Puree in batches in a blender. Put in bowls and serve warm.

 

Cheddar Scones

12 scones

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

2 large eggs, beaten

¼ cup cream or sour cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Rub in the butter with your fingers.

Mix together the eggs, cream, and mustard. Add this to the dry ingredients. Stir in the grated cheese. Mix just until combined. This is the consistency of drop-cookie dough.

Liberally flour the counter and your hands. Pat the dough into a 6x9-inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Cut the rectangle into 6 smaller rectangles, and cut each smaller rectangle into two triangles, forming 12 triangular scones. (You can also cut 12 round scones). Place on a well-greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned and a cake tester inserted into a scone comes out dry.

 

After lunch we visited nearby Hidcote Garden. We realized that we needed GPS to find these country gardens that aren’t well signposted and maps that aren’t detailed enough. At our next stop we had the manager print out directions to our destinations which were extremely helpful. The worst part of the driving was trying to find a signpost telling us which road we were on---not the left side driving, nor the left hand gear shifting. The roads are narrow with no verges (another British term) in many places and those wonderful signs, “Oncoming Traffic in the Middle of the Road!”  We had pre-purchased National Trust passes to decrease the cost of the several gardens we were visiting. Hidcote is one of the several gardens we visited that were created in the 20^th century. The garden was created by an American, Major Lawrence Johnston, starting in 1907 and reaching its peak in the between the war years of the 1920’s and 1930’s. The most outstanding feature, I think, of this garden is its double herbaceous border using red as the predominate color. White gardens are popular and he had one but the red is different.

 

 

 

Grilled Redfish with Salsa Verde

Ever since I had the whole grilled redfish at Pêche for my birthday in July I have been thinking about doing it if I could get the recipe. Well. In the September/October issue of Louisiana Cookin’, I got my wish. There was the recipe and also an article about the chef who created it.

Chef Ryan Prewitt’s signature dish at Pêche Seafood Grill in New Orleans is simple; take incredibly fresh fish, season it lightly and sear it to perfection in the restaurant’s wood-fired oven. The fish speaks for itself and is brought to its great brightness with the great vinegary sauce.

This straightforward elegance took years to develop and strong relationships to maintain. The idea for Pêche came to Ryan and his partners, chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, on a trip to Uruguay. They spent time there working with people who were doing open-fire cooking. These people used the whole fish which is more tender and moist than just grilling the fillets.

Ryan focuses on sourcing whole Gulf fish and serving just about every part of the fish. He works closely with fishermen, including one who spearfishes with deep-water oilrigs. Ryan has access to exceptionally fresh specimens, and he makes the best of all of it.

I have been to Pêche many times and it is one of my favorite restaurants. It is fairly new but if you are in New Orleans it will not disappoint.

This fish was not hard to grill even though I had never grilled a whole fish. Ryan said to put a fan on it for 15 minutes or let it stand upright overnight in the refrigerator so that it would dry out. I didn’t really see how I could stand it upright in the refrigerator, but I bought my fresh redfish at Tony’s Seafood in Baton Rouge and put it under a ceiling fan for an hour to let it be completely dry. I made sure the cat was in another area! The redfish was delicious!

Taken from September/October 2014, Louisiana Cookin’.

Whole Grilled Redfish with Salsa Verde

Serves 2  (yes my husband and I ate it all)

1 2 ½  pound whole redfish, cleaned, gilled, and scaled

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Flaked sea salt (optional)

Prepare grill to medium heat (300° to 350°), preferably with wood burned down to coals.

Make 3 evenly spaced deep cuts into each side of fish. Dry fish off thoroughly with a towel, and if possible, let stand in front of a fan for 15 minutes to finish drying. Alternatively, leave the fish standing upright, and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.

Spread olive oil evenly over fish, and season with salt and pepper. Grill until almost completely cooked through on one side, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn fish, and cook until flesh turns white and collar meat is soft, 10 to 15 minutes more. This was perfect timing for our 2 ½ pound fish.

On a serving platter, spread half of Salsa Verde. Place fish on top, and top with remaining Salsa Verde. Garnish with sea salt, if desired.

Salsa Verde

Makes about 2 cups

2 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry

2 garlic cloves

1 shallot, minced

½ cup finely chopped parsley

½ cup chopped fresh mint

½ cup sliced green onion

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ to 1 teaspoon mild crushed red pepper

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a mortar, add anchovy and garlic; mash to a paste. In a large bowl, combine anchovy paste, shallot, parsley, mint, green onion, lemon zest and juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, and peppers. Slowly add olive oil while stirring, and stir until combined. Adjust seasoning to taste.

The tasty fish makes quite a show and is easier to do than you might think. Give it a try before you put your grill up for the season.

 

Latin American Chicken

In the September issue of ‘Food and Wine’ there was an interesting article about a chef in San Juan. I have never been to Puerto Rico but have it on my list of places to visit. This chef, Jose Enrique, was chosen by Food and Wine as the best new chef in 2013 (the first ever given from Puerto Rico). His food was said to be vibrant and thoughtful and his menu is updated several times a night even hourly. That I thought is very unusual. If a fisherman comes in with beautiful mackerel in the middle of dinner, he might glaze the fish with a citrus-ginger-chile mix, and boom! it is on the menu. On its busiest night, Jose Enrique’s restaurant might have 100 names on its wait list.

After reading this I had to do one of his recipes. I chose a chicken dish with rice since I had some organic chicken thighs in the refrigerator. It was a delicious dish. It did seem to have too much liquid but the short grain rice absorbed it all and was perfect. Alongside the avocado-green pea salsa you have a great dinner dish with a Latin flavor. This is a great one dish meal that will last for several days.

Taken from September 2014 ‘Food and Wine Magazine’

Arroz con Pollo with Avocado-Green Pea Salsa  (chicken with rice)

Serves 6

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

One 3 ½ -pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I used skinless chicken thighs)

Kosher salt and pepper

1 medium onion, minced

2 serrano chilies, seed and minced

2 garlic cloves. minced

3 plum tomatoes (1 lb.) cored and diced

½ tsp. ground cumin

Small pinch of saffron threads (I did not have any so I left out)

1 cup dry white wine

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup pilsner or light beer

2 cups short-grain rice (do not use long grain)

½ cup parsley

Hot sauce for serving if desired

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a very large, deep ovenproof skillet; heat the olive oil until simmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook skin side down over moderate heat, turning once, until nicely browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the onion, serranos and garlic to the skillet and season with a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cumin and saffron and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes start to break down, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Add the stock and beer and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken into the rice and bake uncovered in the lower third of the oven for about 30 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed, the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Transfer the chicken to a plate. Fluff the rice with a fork, then gently fold in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the skillet and serve with the Avocado-Green Pea Salsa and hot sauce.

Avocado-Green Pea Salsa

Serves 6

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas

1 small red onion, minced

¼ cup fresh lime juice

Kosher salt

3 Hass avocadoes-peeled, pitted and finely diced

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a medium saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch the peas until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and cool under running water; then drain on paper towels.

In a bowl, mix the onion with the lime juice and ¾ teaspoon of salt; let stand for 10 minutes. Fold in the avocados, peas and oil, season with salt and serve.

 

 

Iceberg Lettuce

We are still eating iceberg wedges after all these years even though most people think Iceberg lettuce has little flavor. Even James Beard, the father of American gastronomy, was a fan, saying, “Many people damn it, but it adds good flavor and a wonderfully crisp texture to a salad.” It also keeps longer that other lettuces.

Long before the arrival of mesclun, frisee, endive, spring mix, packaged salads, radicchio and arugula, iceberg dominated the produce aisle. Quartered, shredded, its leaves pulled off and transformed into cups for canned pears (I remember my mother doing this.). Taste change, and the iceberg wedge was drowning in a thick dressing which was replaced with vinaigrette-tossed leaf lettuces (especially romaine) and smaller, more exotic “designer” greens, all more nutritional and more flavorful that the neutral iceberg.

Short of the TV dinner, there are few more retro gestures that ordering a wedge of iceberg lettuce covered in a thick creamy salad dressing. It still accounts for 70 percent of the lettuce raised in California. Fancier restaurants seldom serve it, but steakhouses refuse to give it up. It has a comfort level with it---served cold it has a nice crunch.

Most Americans side with the prim instructions given in the first Joy of Cooking. “Heads of iceberg lettuce are not separated,” the directions read. “They are cut into wedge-shaped pieces, or into cross wise slices.”  A lettuce that went by the name of iceberg was developed in the 1890’s and somehow the name resurfaced when new varieties of durable, shippable crisphead lettuce began emerging in California in the mid-1920’s. In 1948, the iceberg we know today was born. Why iceberg? No one seems to know, although one popular theory holds that the name refers to the tons of ice that chilled it in the days before refrigerated rail cars.

Actually, I like a wedge of cold iceberg lettuce for a salad. I order it in restaurants often. My ‘Food Network’ magazine for September had a whole section of wedges and new ways to dress them. I tried some and they were delicious. So get out the head of lettuce and jazz it up a bit with these recipes.

Cheddar-Bacon Wedge Salad

Serves 4

4 slices thick-cut bacon

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup sour cream

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 head iceberg lettuce

½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese or cheddar-jack cheese

Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until slightly crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels; set aside to cool.

Combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream and garlic in a large bowl. Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and the cayenne and whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Chop the bacon into pieces. Cut the iceberg head in half, then cut each half into 2 wedges. Spoon dressing over each wedge so it drips down the sides, then sprinkle with the cheese and bacon.

Creamy Shrimp and Dill Wedge Salad

Serves 4

1 ¼ cups chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

3 cloves garlic (2 smashed, 1 grated)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

½ cup whole-milk Greek yogurt

1 cup diced seedless cucumber (unpeeled)

¾ cup finely chopped red onion

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons sugar

1 head iceberg lettuce

Cook the shrimp: Fill a large bowl with water and add plenty of ice; set aside. Fill a large pot halfway with water. Add ¼ cup dill, 2 smashed garlic cloves, a little pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp; remove the pot from the heat and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is pink and opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice bath to cool.

Combine the remaining 1 cup dill, 1 grated garlic clove, the mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, cucumber, onion, lemon and zest and sugar in a large bowl. Taste, then season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Remove the shrimp from the ice bath, dry gently with a paper towel and coarsely chop. Stir into the dressing until combined.

Cut the iceberg lettuce until 4 wedges. Tear the first few layers from the center of each wedge to create a “bowl” in the wedge; divide among plates. Fill the lettuce bowl with the shrimp salad, letting it spill over the wedge. Garnish with chopped dill. Serve cold or at room temperature.