MI Iceberg Salad

Smoked Lettuce, Tomato Skins, Honey-Truffle Bacon, Blue Cheese Dressing, Yuzu Salt, Edible Flowers

Chef Chelsea Cummings of Turner’s Cut | Houston, TX

---

Adapted by StarChefs  |  October 2025  |  Photo: Will Blunt

INGREDIENTS

Tomato Skins:
Yield: 4.54 kilograms
10 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cored

Yuzu Salt:
Yield: 80 grams
50 grams kosher salt
30 grams yuzu juice

Smoked Lettuce:
Yield: 4 servings
1 head baby iceberg lettuce, quartered

Honey-Truffle Bacon:
Yield: 227 grams
70 grams honey
35 grams rice vinegar
6 grams black truffle paste
1 gram Liquid Smoke
115 grams cooked bacon, diced

Dressing:
Yield: 600 grams
250 grams blue cheese
100 grams honey
250 grams half and half

To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
Tomato powder
Pea tendrils
Edible flowers

METHOD

For the Tomato Skins:
Heat a dehydrator to lowest setting. In a pot over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Add tomatoes and cook until skins begin to peel. Remove from heat and place pot over an ice bath. Remove tomato skins and transfer to a paper towel. Pat dry. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined sheet tray and dehydrate overnight.

For the Yuzu Salt:
Heat a dehydrator to lowest setting. In a mixing bowl, combine salt and yuzu juice. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined sheet tray. Dehydrate overnight.

For the Smoked Lettuce:
Place lettuce wedges on a hotel pan. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a hole in the plastic. Using a smoking gun, cold smoke 30 minutes. Reserve.

For the Honey-Truffle Bacon:
In a mixing bowl, whisk to combine honey, vinegar, black truffle paste, and Liquid Smoke. Set aside. In a vacuum bag, add bacon and honey-truffle mixture. Seal and refrigerate.

For the Dressing:
In a Vitamix Commercial blender, add all ingredients. Purée until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a mixing bowl, add 1 piece Smoked Lettuce and season with tomato powder. Toss to combine and set aside. In a pan over medium heat, fry desired amount Honey-Truffle Bacon until crispy. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with desired amount crushed Tomato Skins and seasoned Smoked Lettuce. Garnish with Honey-Truffle Bacon. Top with desired amount Dressing. Finish with Yuzu Salt, pea tendrils, and edible flowers. 

---