The creamy Caesar salad dressing recipe was shared by April Bloomfield, chef/owner of the Spotted Pig in New York and author of the recently released book A Girl and Her Pig. I love a good Caesar salad and was hoping this recipe would be so over the top fabulous that the dressing itself would become a staple in the refrigerator this summer. All on its own or topped with grilled chicken or grilled salmon I was thinking maybe I could make this the go to meal when I don't have much time and I am having company. Or even when I am just craving the taste of a Caesar salad.
So how good was this dressing? Seriously, this is the best caesar salad dressing I have ever eaten. On a scale of 1 to 10, it is 12, maybe even a 13. The combination of the garlic, dijon mustard, anchovies, red wine vinegar, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese all emulsified together with one egg and oil was heavenly. You will never order another Caesar salad in a restaurant again unless it is one owned by April Bloomfield.
Anchovies are in the dressing and served on the salad. I happen to be someone who likes anchovies, maybe its their saltiness that I find so delicious. The combination of the dijon mustard and anchovies means that the dressing itself needs only a little Kosher salt and pepper for added seasoning.
The dressing is made in a food processor. The garlic, mustard, anchovies, and red wine vinegar are all combined into a puree until smooth, followed by the adding of the egg and the gradual drizzle of the oil. When the dressing is emulsified, you pour into a pitcher or bowl and add the cheese and a pinch of Kosher salt and pepper to taste. I did not use much Kosher salt but used about a quarter of teaspoon of pepper.
Okay I haven't yet told you what kind of oil was used in the dressing. I am stalling on this because when I first read the recipe I couldn't believe what was recommended. It wasn't olive oil and it wasn't grapeseed oil, it was vegetable oil. Yes, vegetable oil. This was probably the only ingredient that made me momentarily pause in deciding whether or not to make the dressing. But then I thought, no risk, no gain here. Only when I looked in the cupboard I didn't have any vegetable oil, only canola oil. I thought I would make the substitution and see what the result would be. I am not sure if the next time I make this dressing I would use vegetable oil as the canola oil worked perfectly. The dressing goes into the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes to thicken even further.
When I had gone to the grocery store to get the bread for the salad I couldn't remember what kind of bread was suggested for the croutons. When I saw the sourdough loaf in the bread section at Whole Foods, I didn't care what bread was suggested (it was day old rustic Italian bread). Because sourdough croutons were going to adorn the salad. Once the crusts are removed from the bread, you tear the bread into bite sized pieces and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until golden. If you don't like the rustic look of torn croutons, you can certainly cut the bread into cubes.
The recipe called for Little Gem lettuce. I had never heard of Little Gem lettuce, could not find Little Gem lettuce and even the guy in the produce section at Whole Foods looked at me like I was confused. I have since learned that these small lettuce leaves are often described as 'a combination of butter and romaine' having both a crispness and sweetness to it. But my inability to find this lettuce (which of course now will be the next food obsession), did not stop me from making the salad. I decided to use baby romaine as I thought it would hold up to the dressing and still be flavorful. Thankfully it worked.
I decided to grill up some chicken and add it to the salad, however, this salad would be incredible all on its own. There is more than enough dressing for at least two more salads or for use as a dip with fresh vegetables (sliced zucchini or asparagus would be perfect with this Caesar dressing).
Recipe
Creamy Caesar Salad (a slight adaptation of April Bloomfield's Creamy Caesar Salad with Torn Croutons as featured in Food & Wine)
Ingredients
1/2 pound day old sourdough bread (or rustic Italian bread, crusts removed and bread torn into bite-sized pieces
10 anchovy fillets, plus more for garnishing the salad
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard (my preferences is for the Maille brand)
2 garlic cloves
1 large egg
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and pepper
18 ounces of Baby Romaine (or Little Gem lettuce if you can find it)
Optional: chicken breasts or salmon fillets grilled
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Spread torn bread pieces on rimmed baking sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until golden. Let croutons cool.
2. Combine the anchovy fillets, vinegar, mustard and garlic in a food processor until pureed and smooth.
3. Add egg and pulse until incorporated.
4. Gradually pour in the oil until the dressing is emulsified.
5. Pour dressing into a pitcher or bowl and add 1/3 cup of the grated cheese. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
6. Toss the chilled romaine in a large bowl with half of the dressing, using your hands to gently rub dressing onto the leaves.
7. Transfer to a platter garnish with anchovy fillets, croutons, and a sprinkling of cheese.
8. Optional: Top with grilled chicken, grilled salmon or grilled filets.
It is lilac season and I am someone who loves all flowers purple (blue) as well as flowers that perfume a room. I was compelled to cut some of the lilacs off of the bushes on the property and arrange them in a vase last night. This morning as I was looking out my kitchen window checking to see if the herbs I bought yesterday needed watering, something else caught my attention, a glass vase filled with lilacs sitting out on the garden table. One of my neighbors had left it for me. So now the house is filled with two beautiful and fragrant lilac arrangements. There isn't anything more that I love than fresh flowers from the garden, all in one color of course, filling up the rooms in the house. Flowers just seem to breathe more life into any space they inhabit.
In two weeks I will have lived in this farmhouse for almost a year. While it is hard to believe that another year of my life has gone by, it feels like I have lived here forever as it has a familiarity to it that I cannot describe in words. There is something so calming, so beautiful, and so energizing about this town that I live in, that my active imagination thinks I have known this this place my entire life even though I continue to discover its beauty and charm. There is a rusticness to the farmhouse that is so very different than my house in the midwest and so very different than my little high maintenance life. This has been a place of refuge, a place to heal a wounded spirit, heart, and soul. It wasn't just serendipitous that I found this farmhouse, I really think it was meant to be.
