Grilled Hearts of Romain with Blue Cheese Dressing

I saw this recipe in Fine Cooking a few years ago and thought it looked intriguing. Today I was out in my garden and noticed I had a LOT of romaine lettuce that needed thinning. And I remembered this recipe. And remarkably, I had all the ingredients.

It was delicious! Just a hint of smoky grill flavour combined with still crunchy lettuce and chunky blue cheese made for a wonderful combination. And almost anything tastes better with a little bacon! I made only half of the dressing recipe and there is a lot left for another day! More lettuce thinning to come!

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk, more as needed
6 ounces crumbled blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Danish blue
1 1/2 Tablespoons finely grated shallot
1 clove finely grated garlic
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

For the salad:

2 hearts of romaine lettuce, bases trimmed but left intact, halved lengthwise (this will serve 4 people)
olive oil for brushing
salt and pepper
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Make the dressing: In a medium bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, blue cheese, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to let the flavours develop. Taste before using. You may need additional milk to thin the dressing as it will thicken upon standing.

Prepare the salad: Heat a gas grill to medium low. Lightly brush olive oil all over the romaine hearts, taking care not to break the leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the lettuce cut side down on the grate, directly over the heat. Grill until the outer leaves are charred and wilted and the lettuce is barely warm through to the core, 2-5 minutes. Transfer to a clean platter and let rest for 5 minutes.

To serve: Place half a heart of romaine, cut side up on each plate, top with about 2 Tablespoons of the blue cheese dressing, sprinkle with the crumbled bacon and serve immediately.