April's Roquefort Dressing

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((I'm not sure why that cheese is in a copper frying pan, but I liked the photo, so I used it.  Ok?))

If you haven't heard, April's book, A Girl and Her Pig, is incredible.  Perhaps my favorite new cookbook this year (excluding Nigel Slater's offering, of course).  It's beautiful, illustrated with both line drawings and exquisite photos.  April's stories, captured by the ever-capable J.J. Goode, are personal and compelling.  

And, as an added bonus, the recipes all seem to work.  Like word for word.  

I've made a few of them, and have been inspired by dozens of others.  The cover certainly belies that this book isn't only for carnivores.  Flip through it and you'll see that April is, like so many of us who've passed through the doors of CP, thoroughly in love with the bounty of possibilities produce offers.  Many of the loveliest recipes have little or no fish or meat, and exemplify her skilled hand and balanced palate.  

We made this roquefort dressing for staff meal a few weeks ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  Especially since I normally abhor blue cheese.  It's.just.so.good.

April serves it with an escarole salad with pears and walnuts, but it'll be perfect for any hearty lettuce, like romaine or little gems, or even a wedge of iceberg (Riverdog's iceberg is back!).  

April Bloomfield's Roquefort Dressing

makes 1 1/2 cups

5 ounces Roquefort

1/4 cup crème fraîche

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons Maldon or another flaky sea salt

5 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1/4 teaspoon finely grated garlic (about 1 medium clove)

Crumble the Roquefort into a medium bowl, and add the crème fraîche, cream, olive oil, salt, vinegar and garlic.  Give it all a good stir so the dressing goes creamy and everything's well mixed but there are still chunks of Roquefort to provide bursts of saltiness.  Use right away, or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge to chill.