Back in the sixties roquefort dressing was ever so popular at fine restaurants. My father loved it but it was usually very expensive. The rich stuff's availability faded with the arrival of dressings made from buttermilk with a packet of seasoning and a little mayo. Blue Cheese dressing has been the closest relative available to enhance our green leafies for the last couple of decades, should one tire of the buttermilk fare. Roquefort is a cheese from a specific group of caves in France. While it is a "blue" cheese, not all blue cheese is roquefort. Ol' Abner has always turned his head in disgust when anything made with blue cheese was offered.
Much to my surprise, he delighted in a wedge of lettuce slathered in "roquefort dressing" at one of our favorite restaurants last week. When ordering the appetizer, he neglected to specify a dressing on the chilled lettuce wedge, but suggested to me that they probably had some special house dressing like "french" or something for it. When it arrived on a chilled plate with the chunky white topping, he cut a big bite off and exclaimed that it was extrordinarily good. The waitress shared the "secret" that it was not made with real "roquefort" but with the milder gorgonzola cheese.
His tastebuds craved another of the salads this week, but the chosen restaurant is just over an hour's drive and reserved for special occasions or times when a trip takes us that way. Internet research yielded several recipes for "roquefort dressing". That was the easy part. Still convinced that he dislikes "blue cheese", we began the search for gorgonzola cheese. The fourth grocery store carried one size package of the crumbly stuff, just a little less than the amount called for in the recipe. We hurried home to mix up the dressing and allow it time to chill before dinner.
Tonight's menu:
Grilled skewers of shrimp
Roasted corn on the cob
Chilled wedges of lettuce with roquefort dressing and diced tomato garnish
How things do come back around! My father would have loved that meal. (oh yeah, I think Ol' Abner secretly does like blue cheese.......)
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