Classic Caesar Salad Recipe
Brought to you by Jennifer Chandler's Simply Salads cookbook.
Made from scratch, this classic caesar salad offers you herb coated croutons and a wonderful dressing to boot!
If your idea of a terrific salad includes a home-made Caesar, with hand-made dressing no less, then this recipe is made-to-measure for you.
But first, a fascinating Simply Salads Did You Know Moment before we get to the recipe. Did you know this salad classic was invented by one Caesar Cardini back in 1924 in his Italian restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico? An Italianate salad, by way of Mexico- I for one had NO idea!
The Classic Caesar Salad with Herb Croutons recipe, as created by Chef Jennifer Chandler in her latest book, Simply Salads.
Salad:
- 1 bag (10 ounces) of Hearts of Romaine
- ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
In large bowl, toss the Hearts of Romaine, cheese and Herb Croutons Add the dressing to taste and gently toss. Serve immediately.
Herb Croutons:
- 6 tbsp. salted butter, melted
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tbsp. dried Italian herbs
- ½ loaf (15 ounces) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small bowl stir together the melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian herbs. Place the cubes of bread in a large owl. Spoon the butter mixture over the bread cubes; toss to evenly coat. In a single layer, spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, turning the pan as needed, until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Caesar Dressing
- 2 small garlic cloves mashed to a paste or minced (Tip: place the garlic in a mortar with a pinch of kosher salt and use the pestle to mash it together until you have a past. If you lack a mortar and pestle, place the garlic and a pinch of salt on a cutting board and mince the garlic with a sharp knife until a paste is formed.)
- 2 anchovy fillets, minced, or ½ tsp. of anchovy paste
- 1 egg cracking into a small bowl (Tip: Because it has a raw egg in it, this dressing must be refrigerated and used the same day it’s made. If you are wary of serving a dressing with raw egg, substitute 1 tbsp. mayonnaise.)
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, anchovies, egg, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the oil in a stream, whisking until the dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes about ¾ of a cup.
