What's for dinner?

I am determined to begin writing today. As my husband suggested, this may be a way to organize the recipes I gather from many sources, keep track of wines we try every evening, and basically, just to try and remember things. I'm finding that my memory isn't as good as it was before.

So, I'm starting dinner tonight with a grilled Romaine lettuce salad with a buttermilk dressing. Gourmet magazine uses Napa cabbage and radishes but since we had the grill on for burgers tonight (beef for him and turkey for me), I decided to make most use of the flame.

To drink, we opened a bottle from Valdeorras,  Joaquín Rebolledo (2007) that we picked up during a spur of the moment wine tasting at the wonderful Tinto Fino in the East village. We had it slightly chilled (as we've been doing with most of our light reds this summer) with our grilled supper. Delicious!

Grilled Romaine Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
 (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

• 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• a pinch of  sugar
• 2 heads of Romaine lettuce, cut in half, lengthwise
• Olive oil to brush on the lettuce halves
• 1 apple, thinly sliced (I used Gala tonight because that's what we had in the crisper, but I'm sure a tart apple like Granny smith would work well, too.)
• Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, sugar,  salt, and  pepper  (to taste) in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved. 

Brush the cut side of the romaine with olive oil. Place on a hot grill for a few minutes until the leaves are lightly charred.

Place the charred romaine wedges and apple slices on a plate and drizzle the dressing over the top. Top with a few cheese shavings.