I came, I saw, I conquered.

I was intimidated by Caesar dressing, but I overcame my fear and now whip up an amazing mixture.

If you like Caesar Salad then take 30 minutes and make this outrageous dressing…it’s good enough to eat on its own!

Here goes…The NY Times Caesar Salad recipe tweaked a bit. 

The whisking is challenging, but so worth it.

By the way, Caesar Salad is said to have been created in Tijuana in 1924 by Italian chef Caesar Cardini.

Homemade Croutons…so easy

• 1 loaf past it’s prime country or sourdough bread
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt, to taste, ground pepper

FOR THE SALAD:

• 1 egg yolk at room temperature. This is a very important detail.
• ¾ cup neutral oil. Had to look up neutral. Thought maybe it is Swiss oil. Vegetable oil is perfect.
• 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice.
• 8 anchovy fillets. I can’t handle anchovies so I bought a fab Italian paste, Cento Anchovy Paste from Amazon. 8 fillets equal 2 teaspoons of anchovies paste. I do heaping teaspoons. 
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated or pounded. I substitute a finely chopped 1/2 shallot. 
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar. White vinegar works. 
• 1 cup of finely grated Parmesan.
• ¾ teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce. 
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Romaine lettuce, Little Gem lettuce are the best.
• Make the croutons: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut stale bread into slices then cut each slice into 4s, toss with olive oil to coat, salt and pepper then spread pieces out on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Toast for about 20 minutes, checking them within the first 10 minutes. Bake until the croutons are golden brown.
• Store in an airtight container for several days.
• Now for the dressing.
• Place the egg yolk in a deep, medium metal or ceramic bowl.
• You will be whisking your brains out for 10 minutes.

  

• Drizzle the neutral oil a drop at a time, while whisking the oil into the yolk. Very important! Drizzle in VERY, VERY Slowly. And don’t stop whisking.
• Once you’ve added about half the oil, you can start adding a little more oil. You want the mayonnaise to be stiff.
• Add Ingredients Into the mayonnaise, stirring together the 2 teaspoons of anchovy paste, garlic or shallot, 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed  lemon juice, 1 teaspoon white wine or regular white vinegar, 1 cup grated Parmesan, 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire (I have a newly found love and respect for the sauce) and pepper.
• Use your hands to toss the greens and croutons with a liberal amount of dressing in a large bowl to coat evenly.
• Garnish with Parmesan and black pepper.
• Serve immediately…so worth the 20-30 minutes and a great arm workout.