Smoky Bacon-Balsamic Dressing over Chargrilled Romaine Lettuce

~  Menu  ~

Chargrilled Romaine Lettuce

Bacon & Balsamic Dressing

Vicky’s Bread

Seriously Small Glass of Red Wine

A few Strawberries

Homemade Clotted Cream Ice Cream

A leftover Scone

This is a little something I thought up years ago as an occasional lunch special – it does sound strange but works very well; the dressing drizzles down between the leaves of the lettuce and sweetens them in a most agreeable manner.  The dressing is a handy way of using up just a rasher or two of bacon and is also excellent for fresh spinach.

Char~grilled Romaine Lettuce with a warm Bacon-Balsamic Dressing & Shredded Parmesan – serves 2

a small romaine lettuce cut in half lengthwise

3 tbsp olive oil* plus a little extra

2 rashers of smoky back bacon in small dice

½ tsp runny honey

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

handful freshly grated parmesan cheese

freshly ground black pepper

~   In a small pan cook the bacon in the 3 tbsp olive oil till it is crisp and golden.

~   Lift the bacon from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen roll.

~   Allow the olive oil to cook slightly then stir in the honey and vinegar.

~   Set aside for a few minutes whilst cooking the lettuce.

~   Pre-heat a grill pan, griddle or frying pan to good and hot.

~   Lightly coat the cut side of the lettuce with fresh olive oil.

~   Season and cook cut side down for a few minutes till turning golden.  Do not cook the other side.

~   Serve the lettuce cut side up, drizzled with the warm dressing and sprinkled with crispy bacon and parmesan.  Grind over a plentiful grind of black pepper.

*  As you have probably realised this is really great, in a way, with bacon fat instead of olive oil.

For desserts I rather spoiled myself.  I had a little homemade clotted cream ice cream and an old frozen scone.  (Not that old!).  So I picked a few strawberries and had this for me pud.  It’s not my fault – I was just trying to make room in the freezer.

Clotted Cream Ice Cream - makes not quite enough!

You will be gobsmacked, in a good way, by the easy-peasiness of the this recipe!         

250 ml Cornish clotted cream

250 ml single cream

200 g condensed milk

­ ~   Slowly whisk together the two creams till merged and then up the speed and whisk till thick.

­  ~   Fold in the condensed milk.

­  ~    Freeze

Yesterday I had a brisk wander, if such a thing is possible, around St. Austell today.  It’s never been a favourite place of mine but is in the process of reinventing itself and is doing quite well.  I am stoked about this as we shall soon be moving into our house in a nearby village and St. A will be my local town.   The new White River Place has some good shopping plus street entertainment and little stalls selling home made jams and local produce.  The Eden Project have a great café there and I really like this trompe l’oeil mural painted by local artist Janet Shearer on a building at the top of Trinity Street.  It shows people of merit who were born or lived in the St Austell area enjoying themselves at a fictional ‘China Café’.

PS.  I apologise for the fact that some of the spacing and font size above has gone all awry - I have no idea why!