Finger Caesar Salads Recipes

CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• 1. The Dressing
• A great Caesar salad gets its swagger from a great dressing. Squeamish about raw egg yolks and anchovies? Sorry. Yolks are what give richness to the emulsion, while anchovies provide a briny blast (and that whole umami thing). Here's our go-to recipe: Chop together 6 anchovy fillets packed in oil, 1 small garlic clove, and a pinch of kosher salt. Use the side of a knife blade to mash into a paste, then scrape into a medium bowl. Whisk in 2 large egg yolks*, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Adding drop by drop to start, gradually whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil, then 1/2 cup vegetable oil; whisk until dressing is thick and glossy. Whisk in 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Can be made 1 day ahead.
• 2. The Croutons
• Make your own. Tearing, not cutting, the bread ensures nooks and crannies that catch the dressing and add texture. Toss 3 cups torn 1" pieces country bread with 3 tablespoons olive oil on a baking sheet; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake at 375°F, tossing occasionally, until golden, 10-15 minutes.
• 3. The Lettuce
• Use whole leaves from 3 romaine hearts to feed 6 people. They provide the ideal mix of crispness, surface area, and structure.
• 4. The Cheese
• Caesars crowned with a mound of grated Parmesan may look impressive, but all that clumpy cheese mutes the dressing. Instead, use a vegetable peeler to thinly shave a modest amount on top for little salty bursts.
• 5. The Assembly
• Skip the tongs. Use your hands to gently toss the lettuce, croutons, and dressing, then top off with the shaved Parm.

CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350° F. Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and bake, tossing them once or twice so they cook evenly, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove and cool. (The croutons may be prepared up to a day in advance. If necessary, recrisp them in a 350° F oven for a few minutes.)
• If using whole heads of romaine lettuce, remove the darker outer leaves to expose the pale-green center. Reserve the outer leaves for another use, if you like. Cut out the core and separate the hearts of romaine into individual leaves. Wash the leaves in a sink of cool water and drain them well, preferably in a salad spinner. Place the leaves in a large bowl, cover them loosely with damp paper towels, and store in the refrigerator up to 8 hours.
• Combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, the lemon juice, garlic, and anchovies in a blender or the work bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding some of the 1/3 cup olive oil if there isn't enough liquid to move the mixture around the blender jar. Add the mustard, hard-boiled egg yolk, salt, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and remaining olive oil if any. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste the dressing; if it's a little too tangy, pour in a splash or two of olive oil and blend until it's incorporated.
• Stack the leaves in a large, preferably wooden serving bowl. Bring the bowl to the table and, using a salad fork and spoon, cut the leaves into 1-inch pieces, as used to be done tableside at Italian-American restaurants. (Of course, you can cut the leaves with a knife beforehand.) Pour the dressing over the salad, add a splash of vinegar and a healthy splash of olive oil, and toss until all the leaves are coated with dressing. Toss in the croutons and ground black pepper to taste. Lastly (so it doesn't clump), sprinkle the grated cheese over the salad, tossing as you add. Serve on chilled plates and, with a vegetable peeler, shave some of the block of Parmigiano-Reggiano over each serving.

CLASSIC RESTAURANT CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Mash garlic with anchovies in a large salad bowl. Whisk lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, egg yolk, and Worcestershire sauce into the anchovy mixture until mixture is smooth and creamy. Gradually whisk olive oil into the dressing, pouring the oil into the dressing in a thin stream while stirring constantly. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Gently mix romaine lettuce and Parmesan cheese into the dressing until thoroughly coated; serve salad topped with croutons.

CLASSIC CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Stick the garlic onto the tines of a fork. Rub the garlic all over the inside of the large bowl that you will use to make your dressing, thoroughly coating. Set aside the garlic clove for another use.
• Add the anchovies and salt to the large bowl and mash them to a paste with the fork. Add in the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire and vigorously mix with the fork. Stream in the olive oil while whisking. Mix in the Parmesan and pepper.
• Add the romaine leaves to the dressing and mix to coat the leaves. Divide the lettuce onto 4 plates, then garnish with shaved Parmesan and additional anchovies.

JULIA'S CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Preparing the salad components:
• You will probably need 2 large heads of romaine for 3 people - or use a commercially prepared package of "romaine hearts," if they appear fresh and fine. From a large head remove the outside leaves until you get down to the cone where the leaves are 4 to 7 inches in length - you'll want 6 to 8 of these leaves per serving. Separate the leaves and wash them carefully to keep them whole, roll them loosely in clean towels, and keep refrigerated until serving time. (Save the remains for other salads - fortunately, romaine keeps reasonably well under refrigeration.
• To flavor the croutons, crush the garlic clove with the flat of a chef's knife, sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and mince well. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil on the garlic and mash again with the knife, rubbing and pressing to make a soft purée.
• Scrape the purée into the frying pan, add another tablespoon of oil, and warm over low-medium heat. Add the croutons and toss for a minute or two to infuse them with the garlic oil, then remove from the heat. (For a milder garlic flavor, you can strain the purée though a small sieve into a pan before adding the extra croutons. Discard the bits of garlic.)
• To coddle the egg, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. Pierce the large end of the egg with a pushpin to prevent cracking, then simmer for exactly 1 minute.
• Mixing and serving the Caesar:
• Dress the salad just before serving. Have ready all the dressing ingredients and a salad fork and spoon for tossing.
• Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the romaine leaves and toss to coat, lifting the leaves from the bottom and turning them towards you, so they tumble over like a wave. Sprinkle them with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper, toss once or twice, then add the lemon juice and several drops of the Worcestershire, and toss again. Taste for seasoning, and add more, if needed.
• Crack the egg and drop it right on the romaine leaves, then toss to break it up and coat the leaves. Sprinkle on the cheese, toss briefly, then add the croutons (and the garlicky bits in the pan, if you wish) and toss for the last time, just to mix them into the salad.
• Arrange 6 or more leaves in a single layer on individual plates, scatter the croutons all around, and serve.