Cobb Salad

After gorging ourselves in several Disney World restaurants, we have returned to recreate some of our favorites from our trip. On the top of the list was the Cobb Salad from MGM's Brown Derby. We ordered this salad as our first course, as it comes with 2 servings. I wish it was the only thing we ate, not just to leave that taste in our mouths all afternon, but because it was SUPER filling. Much more than expected. They prepare it in stripes of ingredients and toss it at your table with the dressing. We hope to do a more pretentious version for a Callaway meal in the near future, sort of striated and stacked in a mould.

And, as always, when you can't think of a wine for something, you are thinking of a rose (or Champagne/sparkling wine). I'm not saying how I know, but I know this is great with a rose.

A couple of notes: it calls for not-your-average greens. I couldn't find chicory, and just used more of the others. Truly anything works. Also, I just sort of vibed it for the dressing. The recipe makes about 1 keg full. I'll just list the ingredients and sort of my measurements.

Cobb Salad(for 4-6)

1/2 head iceberg
1/2 bunch watercress
1 small bunch chicory
1/2 head romaine
2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 breast turkey, (shaved from deli counter)
6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped fine, REALLY fine
1 avocado, diced small
3 eggs, hard boiled, and, you guessed it, chopped fine
2 T chives, chopped fine, or omitted if you are Shaw
1/2 bleu cheese, crumbled
1 c. dressing (below)

I'm guessing you are getting the idea that everything is finely chopped. It is really beautiful when finely chopped. But it is work! Save your breakfast bacon, hard boil some eggs early in the day, and wash all the lettuce when you get it home. The lettuce chopping takes longest, as it is best when finely chopped.

For the visual impact, place chopped greens on a large platter, and lay out all other ingredients in stripes across it. Bring along a bowl to the table and carve... er... toss all ingredients with dressing. Shaw doesn't like bleu cheese, and he said feta was just fine on his. And it was.

DRESSING (approx.)

2 T water
sugar, pinch
salt, pinch
Worcestershire, squirt
garlic, half clove pulverized
oil, as much as you like, maybe 1/2 c.
red wine vinegar, maybe 2 T
dijon mustard, 1/2 t.

It actually calls for 3 parts salad oil and then 1 part olive oil. I just used olive oil and added it at the end to come up with the consistency I liked.