Faucon Salad

This is not a complicated recipe but does have several components that, done ahead of time works much better than preparing all at once. These items can all be prepped the day before and it makes the dish a snap and relatively simple to plate and serve quickly. So plan on doing the dressing, bacon, croutons, eggs and carrots ahead. The next day you will easily create a fabulous entree salad that will amaze folks.

Makes enough for two large salads. Total time: 2hrs plus, a day resting for dressing. For a big recipe of just the dressing see Faucon Salad Dressing

Ingredients (grocery list)

• 3 heaping tbsp good (not cheap) bleu cheese dressing

• 1 heaping tbsp sour cream

• juice from half a lemon

• fresh ground black pepper

• 4 oz bleu cheese, divided in half

• 6 pickled onions, finely diced and juice (sometimes called cocktail onions, see below)

• 1/2 tsp Crystal or Lousiana

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 wedge iceberg lettuce

• 3 strips bacon, crispy, crumbled

• 2 hard boiled eggs

• 1 carrot

• crispy croutons

Do ahead (day before)

Blue Cheese Dressing

• 3 heaping tablespoons of decent bleu cheese dressing.

• 1 heaping tablespoon sour cream

• Juice from half a lemon

• Liberal grinding of pepper

• 2 ounces, crumbled blue cheese

• 1/2 tsp crystal or other good hot sauce

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 6 pickled cocktail onions finely diced

• 1 tbsp juice from pickled onions

In a 1qt mixing bowl combine ingredients, stirring well.
Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours for all the flavors to blend together.

Toppings (day before)

• 2 hard boiled eggs, mashed together with salt and fresh ground pepper. Mash together well, no large chunks, cover and refrigerate

• two strips thick cut bacon, fried crispy, crumble lightly, bag and refrigerate
  

• carrot strips, peel a carrot and then using a peeler, slice 15-20 strips, place in cup of cold water, cover and refrigerate

• Crunchy, toasted croutons ( we usually make these from day old bread, cube and cook in oven 30-40 min on 250 deg F, toss with seasoning salt) cool and cover, store in cool dry place.

Day of making the Faucon Salad

One hour before serving put plates in the freezer. The salad should always be served on a very cold plate.

Ingredients

• 1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, washed, well drained, coarsely chopped into bite size. Dry well with paper towels or salad spinner

• dressing from above

• toppings from above

Make sure the lettuce is well drained and toss the iceberg in half the dressing and plate immediately.

Drizzle lettuce with more dressing. Top with carrot strips, followed by bacon then the eggs.

Sprinkle reserved bleu cheese and season with fresh ground black pepper.

Dress with several croutons around the edge.

Serve immediately.

Adopted from a recipe found on the New Orleans Bar Association web site.

Urban Cowgill Feb 2018, revised 8-2021