Caesar Salad

This recipe is very close to the original version created in 1924 by Caesar Cardini, an Italian restaurateur in Tijuana, Mexico.  That's right, the salad is named after its creator, a Chef, not Julius Caesar of the famed Roman empire. Over the years, it became quite the thing to do - to drive to Tijuana for a Caesar Salad. Californians, including Hollywood celebrities such as Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and W.C. fields dined at Caesar's to escape the Prohibition laws in the U.S. Even Julia Childs had a Caesar Salad there with her parents when she was young.

Caesar Salad enjoyed a major resurgence in popularity in the late 1980s, and the trend has continued to this day, with many restaurants offering one on their menus. The Caesar was once a hallmark of fine-dining establishments, where often it was prepared tableside. In the last 20 years, the salad has become so wildly popular that no restaurant could open without one on the menu. Even chains such as Perkins, Applebee's and Chili's now offer Caesar salads.

Also popular are the Chicken Caesar Salads, Shrimp Caesar Salads, Chicken Caesar Wraps, Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad you find on many restaurant menus. Here is a recipe for Grilled Chicken or Shrimp Salad.

***If you prefer not to use raw eggs for safety's sake, replace the 1/2 cup olive oil and the 2 egg yolks with 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and 3 Tbsp. water. Mayonnaise is made from oil and eggs whisked together. See Caesar Salad Dressing for the recipe.

1 large head romaine lettuce
1 cup olive oil (1/2 c. for the croutons and 1/2 cup for the dressing)
3 cups French bread
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese -- shredded or shaved

[This seems like a lot of Parmesan cheese. Adjust to taste.]

Dressing:

2 large cloves garlic
8 anchovy filets
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse ground salt
2 egg yolks from large eggs -- at room temperature*

  1. Trim the romaine lettuce of bruised or browned leaves, then cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Wash and drain the lettuce, pat it dry and refrigerate for 30 minutes to crisp the leaves.
  2. To make the croutons, cut the bread into cubes, heat the 1/2 cup olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the bread cubes in the oil, tossing frequently, until they're crisp and golden. Drain the croutons on a paper towel until ready to use.

    [I use the Caesar Salad Dressing recipe isntead of Step 3 - 5.]

  3. Peel the garlic cloves then put in a large wooden salad bowl. Mash the cloves against the sides of the bowl with the back of a wooden spoon. Rub the pieces against the bowl until they begin to disintegrate. Remove most of the mashed garlic from the bowl and discard (oil from the garlic will remain in the bowl and flavor the salad).
  4. Add the anchovies and repeat the procedure you used with the garlic, but leave the anchovy pieces in the bowl.
  5. Now add the dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, black pepper, and egg yolks and blend well. Slowly drizzle in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil mixing with a wire whisk until a creamy mayonnaise type dressing forms.
  6. Add the lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and salt. Toss everything together and serve directly from the salad bowl!

*Note:  The original recipe may have called for coddled whole eggs (warmed to 120F degrees, to coddle simmer in water 1 minute and cool in cold water) so they are soft and runny. Some chefs who make this salad today use the whole egg at room temperature.