Caesar Salads are easily Rob’s favorite salad. If we are having a nice dinner at an Italian place, there is a good chance he will order one as a starter. That said he is VERY picky about the dressing. I have probably heard his rant on in several times now.
According to Rob, Caesar dressing should be thick and creamy. If it’s thin or runny, he holds it’s wrong. His preference is that is that it should coat and cling to the greens. While he mostly cares about texture, his other assertion is that is should be tangy with a bit of a bite. The anchovy paste is a must have for him. When going store bought, he always goes for the ones in the cooler by the salad greens as they generally fit his likes better.
So, now on to making our own dressing! There are basically to options, with one being basically a cheat if you want to save time and effort. You can blend up egg yolks and olive oil to create the dressing; or just use mayo (which is basically what you are making) and fold in the rest of the ingredients. I went with the traditional approach for the experience; however, having done that now, I don’t think I will again.
One funny thing that happened while making this dressing was the death of our citrus juicer. While trying to juice a particularly tough lemon, the pins that form the hinge just snapped. I was definitely not expecting it, but now I know to watch out for the particularly pithy lemons.
For the salad itself, I went pretty simple. I was eating it for lunch, so I went with some grilled chicken pieces to give it some protein. Otherwise, it was classics like parmesan shavings, cherry tomatoes, and croutons. I don’t like an overly fussy salad, so this was perfect. Good additions are apple or pear slices if you have them on hand (Rob actually does that at SweetGreen).
Classic Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Old Way
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1-1.5 Cups Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced
- 1 Tbs White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbs Anchovy Paste heaping
- 1 Tsp Capers
- Salt & Paper to taste
New Way
- 1.25 Cup Mayonnaise
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced
- 1 Tbs White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbs Anchovy Paste heaping
- 1 Tsp Capers
- Salt & Paper to taste
Instructions
Old Way
- Add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the olive oil to a blender or food processor.
- Lightly pulse to initially mix.
- While pulsing/blending slowly drizzle in the olive oil until desired consistency.
New Way
- Add everything except the mayo to a food processor or blender.
- Pulse to create a paste like mixture.
- Add the mayo and lightly pulse to combine.
