To me (and every caesar salad nut I know), the secret to a great caesar salad is that it’s not important to know whether indeed it did originate in Mexico, or whether you use cos or romaine lettuce, or even whether you put chicken on it (psst… the chicken is totally optional, by the way). No, the true recipe for success when it comes to this internationally adored classic begins and ends with the dressing. Now, “what if I don’t do raw egg?” I hear you say. All I can say is, I hear you and I sympathise, but without the raw egg yolks, you’re losing out on all that rich creaminess that that brings the whole salad together! I mean, what else is going to make those savoury anchovies sing? But there’s even a solution for that…
CAESAR SALAD
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES | SERVES: 4
for the dressing
10 anchovies
2 cloves of garlic
4 egg yolks
60 ml lemon juice
10 ml Dijon mustard
120 ml olive oil
60 g finely grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper
for the brioche garlic croutons
8 slices brioche loaf
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
for the salad
3 medium-sized romaine or cos lettuce heads
6 anchovies
for the dressing
Chop the anchovies finely, then grate the garlic just as finely before mixing with the anchovies. Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. If you don’t want to use the eggs yolks uncooked, you can bring a pot of water to a boil. Carefully place the eggs in the boiling water for 1 minute. Immediately place the eggs in iced water. Crack open the tops of the eggs and spoon the yolks out into a bowl. Beat the egg yolks with a balloon whisk. Add the lemon juice and mustard and beat well. Gradually add the olive oil and whisk well. Once all the olive oil has been added, add the parmesan cheese and mix well.
for the brioche garlic croutons
Slice of the crust of the brioche loaf slices, then break or tear the slices into bite-sized pieces. Pour the olive oil (about 1 cm deep) into a large saucepan. Add the garlic and heat the oil over a moderate heat. Add the pieces of brioche – not all at the same time – and fry until crispy and golden. Drain on a kitchen towel and repeat with the rest of the brioche pieces.
for the salad
Slice the salad heads in half and arrange on a serving platter. Arrange the anchovies and croutons on top and pour over the dressing. Serve immediately.