Brown Derby Cobb Salad

We’ve been Disney Vacation Club members for over twenty-five years. One of the “must-do” activities that is always on our vacation checklist is a trip the Hollywood Brown Derby located in the Hollywood Studios theme park. There is really no need for us to review the menu after being seated in the beautiful wood-paneled dining room. We ALWAYS order the Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad. The salad includes a wonderful, finely chopped mix of greens, eggs, tomato, bacon, avocado, and turkey. Their signature salad dressing brings together this light and flavorful salad. We always visit the restaurant for the lunch hour, as the salad is delivered to the table in a large bowl and served as an individual entree. Delicious!

When entering the main dining area, looking to your left, a small shelf holds menus, coloring pages and crayons for the little ones. Sitting squarely on top of the shelf, you’ll usually find a small stack of derby-shaped recipe cards for those visiting the restaurant. The Cobb Salad and Grapefruit Cake recipes are usually available to take home with you. Both recipes are absolutely amazing. While I have made both recipes many times, nothing compares to the original prepared by the extraordinary staff at the Hollywood Brown Derby.

Here’s an adaptation from the original recipe…

Brown Derby Cobb Salad

1/2 head each of iceberg and Romaine lettuce, chopped

1 small bunch curly endive, torn into small pieces

1 small bunch watercress, large stems removed, chopped

2 Tbsp snipped chives

1 cup fresh tomato, diced

1 cup roasted chicken breast, diced

6 strips uncured bacon, cooked, diced

1 avocado, peeled and diced

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped fine

1/2 cup Roquefort (or substitute your favorite blue cheese) crumbled

Brown Derby French Dressing

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp dry mustard

1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup grapeseed oil

In a large cruet or shaker bottle, combine all ingredients. Shake vigorously until dressing begins to emusify. Chill.

Combine chopped lettuces in a large shallow bowl. Top salad greens with rows of the remaining ingredients. At table, toss salad with dressing and serve.