Blue Cheese

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This dip is especially attractive served in a hollowed-out head of Castelfranco radicchio, a white radicchio with loose, pink-streaked leaves that readily open to form a bowl.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola Cheese)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Although chef Marjorie Knerr simply brushes the garlic-infused oil on this bread, we couldn't resist spreading some of the roasted garlic over it as well. The restaurant uses Stella brand Gorgonzola, available in supermarkets, for the sauce.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Riesling gives the dressing a delicate flavor. Crumbled blue cheese and toasted walnuts are sharp-crunchy contrasts with appeal.

Gorgonzola cheese flavors this hearty main course. Serve with a chilled Beaujolais.

Like many recipes, Cobb salad evolved as a solution to a rather mundane problem. In the late 1920s, Bob Cobb, manager of the original Brown Derby in Hollywood, California, was becoming tired of his daily meals, which consisted mostly of hamburgers and hot dogs. Then one day he chopped up an avocado, along with lettuce, tomato, and bacon, added some salad dressing, and had the result for dinner. A few days later he elaborated on his creation, adding other ingredients he had picked up on his way to the restaurant: chicken breast, chives, egg, watercress, and a wedge of Roquefort. This salad became a staple at the Brown Derby and, eventually, an American classic.

We use this dressing with our Onion-Crusted Fried Chicken Salad, but it's great, too, as a dip with pieces of fried chicken, vegetables, or best of all, with fried frogs' legs. It's a real thick dressing that gets even thicker when chilled.

"While in Greenville, South Carolina, we dined at The Palms, located in the Phoenix Inn," writes Marilyn J. Smith of Bradford, Pennsylvania. "All their food is outstanding, but I would particularly like the recipe for the Roquefort terrine. It was delicious!"

If you can't find Cabrales cheese, substitute Roquefort or Danish blue cheese.