Good To The Last Bite – Cobb Salad

My wife and I are very compatible in general. Things that other couples fight about are not usually issues for us. For example, we share the same political point of view, which removes a tension found in many relationships. We have a similar sense of style in artwork and furniture, and therefore rarely disagree about how to decorate our house. We generally like similar foods, which makes meal planning easier.

Of course that doesn’t mean we don’t have our moments of bickering and disagreement. For example, we search for parking spots in very different ways, and it always sparks a minor spat. As we approach our destination, if I see a spot, I take it, even if it is a little far away. “Let’s park here and walk,” I think. “There’s not likely to be anything closer, we’ll spend more time circling, looking for a spot, and by the time we end up back here, this spot will be taken.” Marci’s philosophy is different. She goes directly to our end point to find the closest spot possible, spiraling out from our destination if necessary so she doesn’t have to walk as far. As often as not, she is successful in finding a “Steve Spot” (named after her father who had similar luck), one directly in front of the store or restaurant to which she is going.

When eating, we also disagree whether or not to save the best for last. Her strategy is to not have a “best” bite. Without spending any time thinking about it, she eats the best, most succulent bite early on. When I press her on why this is her approach, she says, “I don’t have a best bite.” When I press her further, she says with a sigh, “I never know when I’m going to be full. So if I save the best for last, I may never get to it.”  I, on the other hand, know that I am going to finish what’s on my plate (because ninety-nine percent of the time, I finish everything on my plate), and so I want to end my meal with a bang. As a result, my last bite is always my second favorite part of the meal (after the first bite).

That’s when the disagreement begins. My wife thinks I am crazy even having this conversation, and that I have taken eating to an extreme. The result is that while I’m savoring my last few crumbs from a delicious meal, she’s rolling her eyes.

No matter. In the grand scheme of things, we have a wonderful relationship after 25 years of marriage.  These arguments are minor, and we are lucky to have each other, even if she is wrong about both parking and making sure that a meal is good to the last bite.

Cobb Salad

Cobb salad is a meal in which there are so many components, it’s always hard to decide which should make up the last bite. Salty bacon or grilled chicken? Creamy avocado or pungent blue cheese? Or perhaps several combined together to make it an even better final mouthful? Any way you eat it, a Cobb salad is a fine meal, especially on a warm summer evening.

Serves 2, about 45 minutes

For the salad:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 Tbsp. olive oil

½ tsp. kosher salt

3 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled into bite-size pieces

2 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced

1 small head Romaine lettuce, cleaned and cut or torn into bite-size pieces

10 – 15 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half, or one slicing tomato cut into bite-size pieces

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pit removed, and cut into bite-size chunks

¼ red onion, very thinly sliced

4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

For the blue cheese dressing:

¾ cup mayonnaise

3 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

⅓ cup plain yogurt

2 Tbsp. half and half

½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. tabasco sauce

1. Preheat a grill for direct heat cooking by preparing a charcoal grill or turning burners to high on a gas grill.
2. Cut the chicken breast in half crosswise with a sharp knife into two thin sliced breast halves. Mix olive oil and salt in a small bowl and brush on one side of chicken breast pieces. Lay on grill oiled side down and grill until the edges of the chicken breast are turning white, about 2 to 3 minutes. Brush the top of the chicken breasts with additional olive oil and flip, grilling until they are cooked through, another 2 minutes or so. When done, remove the chicken to a plate and allow to cool. When cool, slice into bite-size pieces and set aside.
3. Cook the bacon and hard boil the eggs, and allow to cool to room temperature. When cool, cut, slice, or crumble into bite-size pieces and set aside.
4. Lay the lettuce out in an even layer on two full size dinner plates.
5. As you prepare each ingredient, lay it on top of the lettuce.
6. Prepare the dressing. Combine and whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings. If it is too thick, add more half and half or water, a tablespoon at a time until you reach a thick but pourable consistency. The dressing will be lumpy with chunks of blue cheese.
7. Dress the salad to your liking with blue cheese dressing, reserving extra dressing for another use.

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