RECIPE: Make The Capital Grille’s Cobb Salad with Sliced Tenderloin
We have enjoyed the Cobb salad at The Capital Grille in Buckhead many times and are curious about the secret for the dressing. Will they share the recipe? — Emory Washington, East Point
It’s no surprise that a fine steakhouse like The Capital Grille would transform the traditional Cobb salad by substituting beef tenderloin for the more customary chicken. The bigger surprise might be that they get bacon flavor in the dressing by using the bacon fat rendered when they prepare the crisp bacon for the salad.
The Capital Grille’s executive chef and partner, Benito Manzanares-Palacios, calls the salad a modern, luxury adaptation of the classic Hollywood dish of the 1930s. At the restaurant, this is served with 8 ounces of tenderloin per serving. For our version, we’ve cut the quantity of beef in half.
The Capital Grille’s Cobb Salad with Sliced Tenderloin
- 1 cup 1/2-inch slices bacon
- 1 4-ounce filet mignon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 cups field salad mix
- 1/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup 1/4-inch dice hard-boiled egg
- 1/2 avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 tablespoons Honey Dijon Bacon Dressing (recipe follows)
- 1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
- 1 teaspoon aged balsamic
- In a small skillet, cook sliced bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Drain off fat. Reserve 2 tablespoons crisp bacon for salad and set aside remainder for another use. Reserve 1/4 cup rendered fat for Honey Dijon Bacon Vinaigrette and save the remainder for another use. Do not wipe out skillet.
- Season both sides of filet with salt and pepper. Return the skillet to stove over high heat. When skillet is very hot, add filet and cook to desired doneness, 3 minutes per side for rare, 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, 5 minutes per side for medium. Set aside to rest.
- In a large bowl, combine field salad mix, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, avocado and reserved 2 tablespoons bacon. Add Honey Dijon Bacon Dressing and toss to coat evenly, then arrange on serving plate. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and drizzle with balsamic. Slice filet and arrange around salad. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 830 calories (percent of calories from fat, 66), 49 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 62 grams total fat (20 grams saturated), 317 milligrams cholesterol, 1,290 milligrams sodium.Honey Dijon Bacon Dressing
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup bacon fat
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- In the jar of a blender, combine vinegar, bacon fat, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Blend 15 seconds, then with the blender running, slowly add oil and process until dressing emulsifies. May be used immediately or refrigerated in a covered container and used within 1 week. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature to allow olive oil and bacon fat to liquefy and shake well before using.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 63 calories (percent of calories from fat, 76), trace protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 5 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 2 milligrams cholesterol, 95 milligrams sodium.From the menu of ... The Capital Grille, 255 E. Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta. 404-262-1162, thecapitalgrille.com.
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