Recently I had to create this awesome salad that I always love making in the summertime for my team and a photo shoot and every Summer when I make it again, I am amazed at how delicious it is! It’s simple, fun, unique, and quick!

Grilled Romaine Summer Salad

The Italian in me rarely uses a recipe only because sometimes all you need is “a little of this and a little of that”. This recipe can be changed in so many ways by adding a different kind of salt such as black salt or fleur de sel or even adding sliced pear to the top.

Here is how I like to present this.

For a party of eight:

4 Hearts of romaine cut in half

½ Red Onion thinly sliced

2 cups Seedless Kalamata olives sliced in half, long ways

I 6 ounce block of Point Reyes Blue (to be used as much or as little as you’d like)

I bottle of Girard’s Champagne vinaigrette

Take sliced onion and drizzle the champagne vinaigrette over it and set aside. This will minimize the potency of the onion. On a hot grill place the hearts face down until lightly charred, roughly 1-2 minutes depending on the heat of the grill.

Plate the hearts face up, one per plate and crumble the blue cheese on top right away to allow it to melt in between the leaves. Place the red onion and kalamatas on top and then drizzle the champagne vinaigrette all over. Finish with a few more crumbles of the blue cheese as a garnish. This is so colorful and unique, it will not need anything more on the plate for garnish.

* Some guests do not prefer blue cheese. A great substitute is Humbolt fog: it will crumble and it has a slight “blue cheese” coloring but its part goat and part sheeps milk cheese with a grape leaf dust in between, so it’s perfect for wine country!