New York Times Caesar Salad Dressing Recipes

CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the anchovies, black pepper and a half-cup of the olive oil in a blender or food processor. Puree about five minutes until very smooth. Add the grated Parmesan and blend briefly to combine. Measure and reserve one-third cup of the anchovy mixture for use with the croutons.
• Bring a small saucepan water to a boil. Place a refrigerated egg on a slotted spoon and submerge in boiling water. Cook one-and-a-half minutes, remove from the water and reserve.
• Puree the garlic with the remaining half teaspoon of olive oil in a blender, or mash together with a mortar and pestle.
• Place the garlic and the remaining dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk in the anchovy mixture. Crack open the egg and spoon it (including the parts that are uncooked) into the mixture. Whisk until well combined.
• Combine the reserved anchovy mixture with the diced bread in a bowl and toss to coat. Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook the croutons, stirring constantly until golden and crisp.
• Wash and dry the lettuce. Discard the tough outer leaves and break the remaining leaves into bite-sized pieces. Place in a salad bowl along with the dressing and toss well. Add the toasted croutons, toss again and serve.

VEGAN CAESAR SALAD WITH CRISP CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a medium baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season generously with salt and pepper. On a second baking sheet, toss the chickpeas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Bake both until chickpeas and croutons are browned and crisp, stirring both halfway through, about 10 minutes for the croutons and 20 minutes for the chickpeas. Set aside.
• While the chickpeas and croutons roast, prepare your dressing: To a high-speed blender, add all the dressing ingredients, plus 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 3/4 cup water; blend until completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula every now and again. Set dressing aside. (You should have 1 1/2 cups).
• In a large bowl, add the kale and the dressing. Using your hands, massage the kale until slightly softened. Add the lettuce, croutons and half the roasted chickpeas; toss to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional nutritional yeast. Top with remaining roasted chickpeas; grind black pepper over, and serve immediately.

CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Make the torn croutons: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the crusts from the bread, then cut into inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into inch-wide strips, and tear each strip into inch-size pieces. Toss with olive oil to coat them evenly, then spread pieces out in a single layer on a baking sheet. (Use a second sheet if needed to prevent crowding.) Toast for 18 to 22 minutes, checking them after 8 minutes. Rotate pans, switch their oven positions and use a metal spatula to turn the croutons so they brown evenly. Bake until they're golden brown and crunchy on the outside, with just a tiny bit of chew on the inside. Season with a light sprinkling of salt if needed. Use immediately; store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Meanwhile, make mayonnaise: Place the egg yolk in a deep, medium metal or ceramic bowl. Dampen a tea towel and roll it up into a long log, then form it into a ring on the counter. Place the bowl inside the ring; this will hold the bowl in place while you whisk. (And if whisking by hand is simply out of the question, use a blender, stand mixer or food processor.)
• Use a ladle or bottle with a nozzle to drip in the neutral oil a drop at a time, while whisking the oil into the yolk. Go. Really. Slowly. And don't stop whisking. Once you've added about half the oil, you can start adding a little more oil at once. You want the mayonnaise to be stiff, but if it thickens so much that it's impossible to whisk, add a teaspoon or so of lemon juice to help thin it out.
• Prepare the dressing: Coarsely chop the anchovies and then pound them into a fine paste using a mortar and pestle. The more you break them down, the better the dressing will be.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the anchovies, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, Parmesan, Worcestershire and pepper. Taste with a leaf of lettuce, then add salt and adjust the acid (the lemon juice and vinegar) as needed, or add a little of each salty ingredient (Worcestershire, anchovies, Parmesan) to the dressing, bit by bit. Adjust the acid, then taste and adjust the salty ingredients until you reach the ideal balance of salt, fat and acid.
• Use your hands to toss the greens and torn croutons with an abundant amount of dressing in a large bowl to coat evenly. Garnish with Parmesan and black pepper and serve immediately. Refrigerate leftover dressing, covered, for up to 3 days.

CLASSIC CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet large enough to hold the bread in a single layer and turn heat to medium. When oil shimmers, add bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper; brown lightly on all sides, adding a little more oil if necessary. Remove and set aside.
• Rub the inside of a salad bowl with the garlic clove; discard it. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Pierce a tiny hole in the broad end of each egg with a pin or needle and boil them for 60 to 90 seconds; they will just begin to firm up. Crack them into the salad bowl, being sure to scoop out the white that clings to the shell.
• Beat eggs with a fork. Gradually add lemon juice and 6 tablespoons oil, beating all the while. Stir in anchovies and Worcestershire. Taste and add salt if needed, and lots of pepper. Toss well with lettuce; top with Parmesan and croutons; toss again at table. Serve immediately.

KALE-ROMAINE CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Make the croutons: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pull the soft bread out of the center of the loaf, leaving the crust behind, and tear the soft bread into bite-size pieces. You should have about 3 cups. Spread pieces on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden and crisp. Let cool.
• Prepare the kale: One large leaf at a time, use the tip of a small, sharp knife to cut along the sides of the tough center ribs. (Or, use your fingers to pull the leaves off the rib.) Pull out the rib and discard. When all leaves are trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces. (Do not shred.)
• Prepare the romaine: Cut large leaves crosswise into bite-size pieces. Leave inner leaves whole.
• Fill a sink or salad spinner with very cold water and submerge the leaves. Swish and let soak 5 to 10 minutes. Working in batches, lift out and drain on a kitchen towel, then dry in a salad spinner.
• Place a plastic bag filled with ice in the bottom of a salad bowl. Pile the washed leaves on top, cover with a damp kitchen towel and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• In a blender (or using a hand blender), combine the garlic, anchovies, mustard, a large pinch of salt, about a dozen grinds of black pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
• Cook the egg: Poach in simmering water or in a microwave, until yolk is thickened but still runny. (To poach in a microwave, break egg into a glass bowl or measuring cup. Gently pour in warm water to cover the egg by about 1/2 inch. In bursts of 30 seconds or less, depending on microwave power, cook egg until white is just firm and yolk is thickened. Hold a slotted spoon over the sink and pour the egg and water into it, so the cooked egg is held in the spoon while the cooking water and any uncooked whites drain off.) Put the egg in the dressing and blend.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings with mustard, oil, lemon, salt and pepper. It should be pungent and sharp but not acidic. Blend again, transfer to a container with a tightfitting lid, and chill until ready to use.
• When ready to serve (or up to 2 hours beforehand), remove towel and ice from the bowl and fluff the greens. (If necessary, transfer to a larger bowl; you will need plenty of room for tossing.) Shake the dressing. To the greens, add half the croutons, half the dressing and half the cheese and toss well. Taste and toss with remaining dressing as needed. (If necessary, transfer the tossed salad back to the salad bowl.) Add remaining croutons. Sprinkle remaining grated cheese over the top and grind coarse pepper over that. Serve immediately (or refrigerate for up to 2 hours). Toss once more at the table.

CANLIS SALAD

Steps:

• Wash the lettuce in cold water, dry thoroughly and put in the refrigerator to chill.
• In a large pan set over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until it is nearly crisp, then remove to a bowl. Drain off all but one tablespoon of fat, then add the bread cubes to the pan and toss to coat. Bring heat to low and toast, tossing the bread occasionally with a spoon until it is crisp. Remove to another bowl.
• Make the dressing. Place a whole egg in its shell into a coffee cup, then pour boiling water over the top. Allow the egg to cook for 60 seconds, then remove it. Rinse with water until cool. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil, then crack the coddled egg into the bowl and whisk again, vigorously, to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.
• In a salad bowl, combine cold lettuce, scallions, mint, oregano and the reserved bacon. Toss with enough dressing to coat the lettuce, then top with the tomatoes, the croutons and a goodly shower of cheese.

FRIED SHALLOT CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare the shallot aioli: Combine shallots, egg, lemon juice, mustard, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in the bottom of a jar just wide enough to fit the head of an immersion blender (see Tip). Add the neutral oil, pouring it in slowly so that it forms a distinct layer on top of the other ingredients. Place the head of an immersion blender all the way at the bottom of the jar. Turn on the blender and slowly pull it up through the jar so that the oil is slowly incorporated and forms a creamy emulsion.
• Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil, then whisk in water as needed until the dressing forms a light, creamy consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Prepare the salad: If using homemade shallots, skip to Step 4. If using store-bought shallots, toast the shallots in a large skillet over medium heat until deep caramel brown and aromatic, about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, you can toast the shallots on a sheet tray in an oven or toaster oven at 375 degrees until deep caramel brown, about 6 minutes.) Season generously with salt and transfer to a bowl.
• In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with a few tablespoons of the dressing, half of the fried shallots and the Parmesan until lightly coated. Taste some of it, then add more dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper as desired. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining fried shallots, grate some more Parmesan on top, garnish with anchovies (if using) and serve. Leftover dressing can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.