Two-Dressing Salad (Frenchie Salad)

Source: Food & Wine April 2015

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps yellow mustard seeds
• ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
• 4 oz cherry tomatoes
• ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1″dice or strips
• 2 oz (⅓ cup) bleu cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup creme fraiche
• 4 heads (1 lb) Little Gem or baby romaine lettuce, separated
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Method

Pickle Mustard Seeds

In a small saucepan, combine the mustard seeds and vinegar and bring to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let stand for 1 hour.

Make the Dressing

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a small ovenproof skillet or baking dish, toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp of the oil. Roast for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have popped and are browned in spots. Transfer to a blender. Add the remaining ingredients; puree until smooth.

Make the Salad

In a small skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

In a small bowl, blend the bleu cheese with the creme fraiche until smooth. Dollop the mixture onto plates and spread slightly. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with half of the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the lettuce on top of the bleu cheese mixture. Garnish with the picked mustard seeds, bacon and chives. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.

Notes

This is a very large dressing recipe and I had tons left over. Next time I think I would do only half. Also my cherry tomatoes popped and got brown much sooner than 30 minutes so keep an eye on them. This is a fabulous recipe!!

MAKE AHEAD: The dressing can be refrigerated for 3 days.