Rice Paper Wraps Stuffed Like a Cobb Salad

Rice paper rolls go by the Vietnamese name gỏi cuốn, which translates literally to “salad roll.” That idea guided this recipe: the wrapper holds the fixings of a Cobb salad—bacon, chicken, avocado and a blue cheese dressing made from scratch—with corn and basil folded in for a bright, warm-weather character.

Info

• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Total time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 large ear of corn, shucked
• Kosher salt
• 1 large plum tomato, ends trimmed
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1/2 avocado, cut into 8 long slices
• 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
• 16 fresh basil leaves
• 8 round rice paper wrappers (8 1/2 inches in diameter)
• Freshly ground pepper
• Blue cheese dressing, for serving (recipe follows)

Blue Cheese Dressing

• 1 small clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Set a skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon, flipping it now and then, for 6 to 9 minutes until it takes on color. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Cut each slice in half both crosswise and lengthwise, yielding 4 strips per slice.
2. Fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring it to a boil. Drop in the corn and simmer 1 to 3 minutes, until tender. Lift it out, let it cool, then slice the kernels from the cob.
3. Cut the tomato in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the seeds, then cut each half into 8 long strips.
4. Arrange all the fillings—bacon, corn, tomato, lettuce, avocado, chicken and basil—beside your cutting board. Pour water into a wide, shallow bowl. Dip one wrapper in the water for a few seconds only, then lay it on the board; it will soften as it rests.
5. Along the lower half of the wrapper nearest you, spread 1/4 cup lettuce into a 3-by-5-inch rectangle. Layer on 2 tomato strips, 1 tablespoon corn, an avocado slice, 2 bacon strips and 2 tablespoons chicken, then season with salt and pepper. Set 2 basil leaves slightly higher up the wrapper. Fold the sides inward and roll the wrapper up firmly, the way you would a burrito. Keep the finished rolls under a damp kitchen towel until serving. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, and serve the rolls with the blue cheese dressing.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice. Leave the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
7. Add the blue cheese and crush it with a fork. Whisk in the buttermilk, sour cream, fresh dill, mustard, salt and pepper until the dressing is fully blended.

Notes

Keep the rice paper in the water for just a few seconds. It should still feel stiff when you lift it out, then soften quickly as it sits. Left in the water too long, it turns overly soft and becomes hard to handle.