Help faking my favorite pick-up staples

I'm leaving L'ville in June (I'll still be lurking the boards and hopefully making the occasional run, if only for Lou Lou's shrimp and grits). The cost of shipping my top two staples back east on a regular basis would be...well, it ain't happening. They are Paul's blue cheese dressing (for me) and Cheddar Box barbeque almond chicken salad (for him). I've got to get busy and try to facsimilate while there's still time to compare to the real things. I'm especially flummoxed about the chicken salad. What makes it barbeque? Any body with x-ray taste buds eat these two often?

I'm leaving L'ville in June (I'll still be lurking the boards and hopefully making the occasional run, if only for Lou Lou's shrimp and grits). The cost of shipping my top two staples back east on a regular basis would be...well, it ain't happening. They are Paul's blue cheese dressing (for me) and Cheddar Box barbeque almond chicken salad (for him). I've got to get busy and try to facsimilate while there's still time to compare to the real things. I'm especially flummoxed about the chicken salad. What makes it barbeque? Any body with x-ray taste buds eat these two often?

Bethy, give me a week, and I'm pretty sure I can help you out with the chicken salad, detective-style. Stay tuned.

Outstanding, Agent M! You are going to be SO Mrs. Smith in a trench coat. Be careful and call me on the stiletto-phone if there's trouble.

My best friend lives next door to the owner of the Cheddar Box in St Matthews. She said that the one in Middletown is owned by someone different therefore can have different items. At which store do you get the bbq chicken salad? Also, since they make a lot of their own items, like mayo, even if you get the recipe, it may not turn out exactly like what you get from them. Oh! She also said as soo as Nancy gets back in town, she'll ask her for the recipe!

I go to the St. Matthews Cheddar Box for the chicken salad. I like different items at each store (that's me driving back and forth between them in the old volvo).

Bond, Doogie Bond, thanks for volunteering, this is right up your... purlieu. Smooth on over to Pauls, get the cash register girls all shaken and stirred and they'll hand it right over. (It'll be this old yellow creased paper torn from a notebook with "Famous Dressing Do Not Copy" typed on the top line and scarlet lip prints at the bottom) (Now I'm seeing you as Bill Murray in Lost in Translation: "Lip my stockings. Lip them. Like this.")

Thank you, Carolyne, for asking Nancy as well as for providing justification for my making husband go to both stores every time we get ready to go out of town.

I can't help you with Paul's BC Dressing, but I do have the old recipe for Luna Mercato's Amish Blue Cheese Dressing. I think it's hand's down the best BC Dressing I've ever had. (Although Lou Lou makes a close contender.) Let me know if you're interested and I'll PM you.

On second thought, it's possible that this is the same recipe. I know that when LM stopped carrying the Amish BC Dressing that a lot of retailers were very unhappy about it. So, LM shared their recipe liberally with a lot of their customers. I think it's highly possibe that Paul's was one of thoswe customers.

Beth- I don't even know what Luna Mercato's was. I've only been in Louisville 2 years. But, I'd love the recipe. Maybe it'd give me a sort of jumping off point even if it's not the same one. Thanks, Bethy

I can't help you with Paul's BC Dressing, but I do have the old recipe for Luna Mercato's Amish Blue Cheese Dressing. I think it's hand's down the best BC Dressing I've ever had. (Although Lou Lou makes a close contender.) Let me know if you're interested and I'll PM you.

On second thought, it's possible that this is the same recipe. I know that when LM stopped carrying the Amish BC Dressing that a lot of retailers were very unhappy about it. So, LM shared their recipe liberally with a lot of their customers. I think it's highly possibe that Paul's was one of thoswe customers.

Beth,

Could you post it here? I'm a huge Blue Cheese fan and I 'd love a great recipe for dressing.

Thanks!
Deb

Bethy,

Another option is to send a request for the recipe to Ron Mikulak, the Assistant Food Editor at the C-J. He has pretty good luck getting restaurants to cough up their recipes ( it's great publicity for them).

Deb

Hey all!

Someone else PM'ed me and wanted it as well. I won't be home until later tonight, but I promise to post the recipe tonight or tomorrow morning.
The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking that Pauls was one of the places that wanted the recipe, so I'm hoping it's a close (if not identical) match for you Bethy.

Marsha, any luck on the chicken salad recipe? If you come across it, will you post that here as well?

Cheers!

I am still on the case and will report back tomorrow. Now I will skulk away in my overcoat.

OK, here's the recipe! It's adapted from a VERY large batch, so some of the measurements are approximations. I've experimented with different types of blue cheese and it's always turned out well. I also add a bit more cheese than the recipe calls for because I like it really chunky, but that's up to you.

Oh, and I get the tarrgon wine vinegar at Kroger.

24 oz. (3 Cups) Mayo
9 oz. (1&1/8 Cup) Sour Cream
9 oz. (1&1/8 Cup) Small Curd Cottage Cheese
6 oz. ( approx. 3/4 Cup) Amish Blue Cheese
3 oz. (approx. 1/3 Cup) Domestic Blue Cheese
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
1&1/4 Tbl. Tarragon Wine Vinegar
1/3 Tbl. Crushed Garlic
1/4 Tbl. Salt
1/4 Tbl. Black Pepper

Enjoy!

Thanks, Beth!

Wow, that's a lot of dressing- how long does it keep in your experience? Also, do you leave the cottage cheese as is, or blend it all before adding the blue cheeses? ( I like mine chunky too )

Deb

It does make quite a bit. You could halve it again for a more manageable amount. It's hard to say how long it will last because it never lasts long in my house! I would say I've had it up to a month before with no problems.

I leave the cottage cheese as is. I don't blend or puree any of the ingredients, I just mix well in a bowl. The cottage cheese gives it a good texture. If you wanted it creamier though you, I'm sure you could blend it for that result.

You might try this recipe.

Bbq Chicken Salad
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com

Category: Chicken Salad
Serves/Makes: 4 | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: 1-2 hrs

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 can (8.75 ounce size) sweet corn, drained
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise




Directions:
Preheat grill for high heat. Lightly oil grate. Grill chicken 10 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Remove from heat, cool, and cube.

In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, red bell pepper, onion, and corn.

In a small bowl, mix together the barbeque sauce and mayonnaise. Pour over the chicken and veggies. Stir, and chill until ready to serve.

Note: If preferred, broil chicken in oven for 8 - 10 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Recipe Location: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/8 ... 8960.shtml
Recipe ID: 49744