Caesar Salad
For salad as addictive as shoestring fries, look no further - with ribbons of cold, crunchy romaine lettuce bathed in a cheesy, garlicky dressing - this Caesar salad is a bowl of contrasts - sharp lemon against creamy cheese then dry toasty croutons against lemony garlic. This home made version is so addictive that you will want to have it again and again..
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Caesar Mayonnaise Dressing
- 2 small garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup freshly grated parmigiana
Crotons
- ½ loaf Italian bread
Salad
- 3 heads rommaine lettuce
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Bake the Crotons
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Discard the crusts and cut into bite sized pieces. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
Make the Dressing
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the salad
- Cut the lettuce into thick slivers or keep whole.
- Toss the salad with the dressing. Arrange into plates and top with croutons. Serve immediately.
Notes
Finely, Grated vs. Minced Garlic: It is next to impossible to make the garlic into a paste by mincing it - I found that it was a lot easier to finely grate the garlic to ensure there are no uneven clumps. Mixing the Dressing Evenly: Add all the ingredients to a bowl other than the mayonnaise and parmigiana and mix together with a spoon. Use the back of the spoon to make sure that ingredients and complete mixed together. Add the mayonnaise and parmigiana and whisk thoroughly. Cold, Dry, Crisp Lettuce: The quality of the lettuce is very important - if the leaves are wet, the dressing will not stick to the leaves. Also, the satisfying punch of the dressing will be lost as the water will dilute the dressing. For the crispest lettuce, separate the leaves from the romaine hearts and submerge them in a bowl of ice water for at least 15 minutes. The leaves should then be dried using a salad spinner and then by pressing between sheets of paper towel. The lettuce should then be used immediately or rolled in a cloth or paper towel and refrigerated until ready to use (up to 1 day). Freshly Toasted Croutons: The ultimate croutons are freshly made, crisp and golden. Fresh home made croutons are much better than store bought croutons. Refrigerate the Dressing: Refridgerate the dressing for at least two hours to thicken and intesify the flavor. Grated vs. Shaved Parmigiana: Most fancy restaurants like to top their Caesar salads with long, broad shaved pieces of parmigiana. I personally prefer a snowfall of freshly grated parmigiana as it allows me to savor the combined flavors evenly. Its a matter of choice.