Salad With Cobb

I had my first avocado at Scandia restaurant in Los Angeles, and I hated it. The smooth little green cubes avoided my fork until I finally speared one. I swallowed it reluctantly, then avoided the rest of them on my plate. I'm not sure how I came to love avocados, but the city of Los Angeles is similar. You may not like it at first, but it definitely grows on you. Because half of my family is from there, I was able to visit them and the city during my childhood Christmas vacations. Leaving the East Coast snow behind and stepping out of the plane into 80o heat was a revelation, as was learning that people had actual swimming pools in their back yards. That was pretty much the end of the era of fabulous L.A. eateries. Elite regulars like the Reagans and Elizabeth Taylor dined on chili and "Hobo steaks" at places like Chasen's, while Don the Beachcomber fueled America's fascination with Polynesian fare. Although I never ate there (but we laughed every time we passed the sign), the Moscow Mule was said to have been invented at the Cock'n Bull on Sunset Strip. Scandia, an airy space on Sunset Boulevard where the impeccable staff would wheel the salad cart to your table and make your salad on the spot, before heaping it on a chilled plate, was my favorite. Most used crunchy Iceberg lettuce but the best was chopped romaine tossed with a coddled egg and garlic croutons for their Caesar Salad, which I consumed.

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Scandia was eventually sold by the Hansen family in the late 1970s, and the new owners were unable to make a profit. The Brown Derby, where the Cobb Salad is said to have been invented, closed and the building was converted into something else. Even to this day, I associate Los Angeles with generously composed salads. On a recent trip, I had trouble finding a classic Cobb Salad. One was thrown together in the kitchen before arriving at our table, and another was served in a large, deep bowl, with the ingredients correctly divided into piles but not in traditional rows.

For those who miss the glory days of Los Angeles dining, L.A.'s Legendary Restaurants by George Geary, a fond look back at the iconic restaurants of Los Angeles, some still standing but many, sadly, gone, will intrigue your interest. Everything from Ma Maison and Trader Vic's to the less-upscale Hamburger Hamlet and Clifton's Cafeteria reminded me of the times I was fortunate enough to visit some of those establishments.

Aside from avocados, my tastes haven't changed, and I was craving a classic Cobb Salad. Sorry, but there are no substitutions for this Caesar Salad. Cobb Salads must include bacon, tomatoes, avocados, blue cheese, and chicken. I gave you the proportions I used as a guideline, but this is a salad, not a science project, so you can add a little more of this and a little less of that.

This type of dressing was renamed "French" dressing for some reason back then. The dressing makes more than you need, but it keeps for a week or so in case you're craving another Cobb a few days later, as I was after making this one.

Cobb Salad

By George Geary Inspired by L.A.'s Legendary Restaurants The idea of a Cobb Salad, like a Caesar Salad, is to have all the ingredients in the right proportions so that one doesn't stand out too much from the others once the salad ingredients are all mixed together. You may only need one if your chicken breasts are large. And because the chicken breasts are thick, you may want to cut them in half horizontally once cooked lay them flat on a cutting board and cut them in half, crosswise across the equator, to get two flat pieces of chicken from one breast. To cook the chicken, fill a saucepan halfway with salted water, enough to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil.

Cook for 9 minutes, then remove the eggs from the water and place them in a bowl of ice water to cool. To cook the bacon, place the strips between two paper towels on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for six minutes, or until done, as directed on the package. If you prefer, you can cook them in a skillet. If you don't eat pork, use turkey bacon instead. Some people prefer to use peeled and diced fresh tomatoes. I chose cherry tomatoes because their quality and flavor are usually superior, except during tomato season.

You can use a tomato peeler or cut a small x in the bottom of three medium tomatoes to use fresh tomatoes. Place them in a pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds (or until the skin loosens from the flesh), then transfer them to a bowl of ice water to "shock" the tomatoes, allowing the skins to slip off.

To make the Cobb Salad

1 head romaine or iceberg lettuce, or a combination of the two, chopped

1 watercress head, chopped

1 1/2 cups (210g) cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 cooked and diced medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see headnote)

6 crumbled bacon strips

3 diced hard-cooked eggs

1 large diced ripe avocado

Crumbled Roquefort or blue cheese, 4 oz.

2 tablespoons chives, minced

black pepper, freshly ground

To make the French dressing

1/3 cup red wine vinegar (80ml)

2 teaspoons water

1 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1 teaspoon of salt

1 small garlic clove, cut into pieces

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (125ml)

1/2 cup canola oil (125ml) (or another neutral-tasting oil)

To make the salad

Spread the chopped lettuce and parsley in the bottom of a large platter or a wooden salad bowl.
Across the top of the lettuce, arrange the tomatoes, chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, and blue cheese in rows. Sprinkle with chives and season with black pepper to taste.

To make the dressing

Combine the vinegar, water, Worchestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice, pepper, salt, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor or blender. The ingredients should be processed or blended.
While the food processor or blender is running, slowly drizzle in the olive and canola oils to create an emulsion.
Toss the salad with 3/4 to 1 cup of the dressing (180 - 250ml). Leftover dressing can be refrigerated for up to one week.