Caesar Salad
A traditional caesar salad is one of my all-time favorite dishes. A ton of the caesar salads out there are zingy and just too sharp for my liking. This dressing SHOULD BE CREAMY. A classic caesar should start with a basic mayonnaise recipe. From there, you add flavorful ingredients like garlic and anchovies to transform it into the yummy dressing we all know. Sometimes I also add in lemon juice, but it really depends on my mood.
I love the creaminess, saltiness and freshness of the dressing contrasted with some crunchy lettuce and parmesan crisps. Parmesan crisps are available in almost every grocery store but are also really simple to make at home. You can cook on a stove top or even toss them in the microwave. To do that, add a bit of oil to the bottom of a paper plate, add a light coat of parmesan to cover the bottom. Pop it into the microwave and cook about two minutes. Then you can break the parmesan disk up into pieces and toss into your salad. Super simple and you’ll love the crunch! Give it a try and let me know what you think! PS - try adding some homemade croutons, recipe here.
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups canola oil (or another mild oil)
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
6 anchovy filets
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Romaine hearts, washed and chopped, to assemble the salad
Parmesan crisps, to assemble the salad
Directions:
Begin by adding the egg yolks and mustard into the bowl of a stand mixer. If you don’t have one, use a hand mixer or immersion blender. Begin blending the eggs and mustard. Slowly add in the white vinegar.
Once blended, slowly add in the oil a few drops at a time so that the liquid is emulsifying correctly. Adding too much oil at once will cause the dressing to break.
Once you’ve added all of the oil, add in the garlic. Blend.
Next we want to chop up the anchovies. I like to create a paste first by adding some rock salt on top of the anchovies and smashing/ scraping with a knife. This paste-like consistency will help the anchovies dissolve into the dressing. Chop, scrape, smash and then add into the dressing. blend to combine.
Lastly, add in the parmesan and mix to fully integrate the cheese. Now toss the dressing with lettuce and parmesan crisps. Enjoy!
