Recipes Chopped Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 4.0 (2,880) 1 Review This is the perfect salad for people who love blue cheese: Laura Werlin whisks some cheese into the vinaigrette, then sprinkles more on top of the salad before serving. More Cheese Dishes By Laura Werlin Laura Werlin Award-winning author of six books, Laura Werlin is a nationally renowned expert on American artisan cheese, focusing on cheese and wine pairing. She frequently presents at such popular events as the Food & Wine Classic at Aspen, South Beach Food and Wine Festival, and Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, as well as teaching at The Cheese School of San Francisco.Experience: Laura Werlin spent nearly a decade working behind the scenes in local television before she stepped into the spotlight as a sought-after speaker and on-air artisan cheese and wine expert. She has appeared on television and radio, including CNN, The Martha Stewart Show, CBS Early Show, Home & Family, The Splendid Table, and QVC. Laura's recipes have been published in Cooking Light, Eating Well, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Fine Cooking, Saveur, Sunset, and others. In addition to leading seminars and conducting interactive cheese and wine pairing classes at festivals and corporate events, Laura is often asked to judge competitions at food and wine events such as the American Cheese Society's annual cheese competition and the Grilled Cheese Invitational in Los Angeles. A library of Laura's instructional videos can be found on her YouTube channel.Education: Laura attended the University of California at Berkeley, graduating with a bachelor of arts in mass communication/media studies. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 15, 2018 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Quentin Bacon Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 6 Ingredients 1/2 cup walnuts 1 tablespoon very finely chopped shallot 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled 2 romaine hearts, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise 1/2 fennel bulb, cored and finely chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped 1/2 seedless cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 Fuji apple, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice 2 tablespoons thinly shredded basil leaves Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast them for about 10 minutes, until they are golden. Let cool, then coarsely chop. In a large bowl, whisk the shallot with the Dijon mustard and sherry vinegar and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and whisk until smooth. Add half of the blue cheese and whisk until the dressing is creamy. Add the lettuce, fennel, carrots, cucumber, apple, avocado, basil and walnuts and season with salt and pepper. Toss the salad well to coat with the dressing. Top with the remaining blue cheese and serve right away. Rate it Print