I love easy recipes that don’t taste easy.
Back in the late 1980s, it was all the rage to make your own Caesar dressing, particularly when you were entertaining and had company. I remember being a young child going to dinners with my family, and the host would take out a large wooden bowl. It was always a beautiful oversized wooden bowl, and they would make Caesar dressing from scratch directly in the bowl. It was usually a big, boisterous production. The guests were delighted by the spectacle, and the host equally delighted to entertain.
Clearly this stuck with me, as when I have a Caesar salad I often remember our gregarious neighbour (he was larger than life) laughing and whisking the dressing in the bottom of the bowl.
At the time, I found this element of the dinner party to be super impressive. Sometimes it was the only part that was impressive! Fast forward more years than I care to calculate, and I realize making Caesar dressing is as easy as it gets.
This is the easiest of easy, and it tastes phenomenal! My family raves about how much better Caesar salad tastes when the dressing is made from scratch. I haven’t purchased Caesar dressing in ages. It takes only 5 minutes.
I have included two Caesar dressing recipes in this post. I now almost exclusively use the egg-yolk version over the mayonnaise recipe. The mayonnaise version yields enough dressing for another day. Try them both and decide for yourself which one you prefer. If you are entertaining and want to impress your guests, make the one with egg yolks. It is impressive and fun for your guests to watch.
Who knows, maybe in 30 or 40 years, someone will share their fond memories from your dinner party!
I love to use kale for my Caesar salads, but romaine is the classic lettuce. There is a debate as to whether you should tear your lettuce or chop it. I chop my lettuce and I tear the kale. It is completely up to you how you prepare your greens.
TIP: I recommend sprinkling some salt on your greens prior to adding the dressing. Give the greens a good wash, then pat dry. Add a light dusting of salt, and dress. This is a game changer!
I also like to make the croutons if I am entertaining (store-bought are of course just fine). I cut two ends of bread cut into cubes and drizzle them with olive oil, salt and garlic powder. Then I toss them into my air fryer for a few minutes at the highest temperature until they crisp up.
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Recipe 1
Caesar Dressing Made with Egg Yolks
Ingredients
3 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 large egg yolks
2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I prefer the grainy variety)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
sea salt to taste (start with 1/2 tsp)
Method
In a medium bowl, whisk anchovies, egg yolks, garlic, mustard, and lemon juice. While whisking, very slowly pour in the olive oil until dressing is creamy.
Recipe 2
Caesar Dressing Made with Mayonnaise
2 anchovies (the fillets from the tin) OR use 1 Tbsp of anchovy paste
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of mayonnaise
2 Tbsps lemon juice - squeeze a bit more to taste
1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire* sauce (substitution below)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp capers (optional - I say optional as I have one son that dislikes capers so I usually leave them out. I have been busted trying to sneak them in.)
Salt and pepper to taste
NOTE : If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, substitute 1 tsp soy sauce with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (this gives you the 2 tsp yield required for this recipe).
Method
In a blender add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
If making a salad, toss the dressing with your greens of choice (kale or romaine lettuce are my favourites). Add any add-ins you like, Kalamata olives (optional), croutons, bacon bits, and top with freshly grated parmesan and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for good health. Don’t forget that extra grind of fresh black pepper just prior to serving.
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My dad loved to try new recipes on us in the 60’s, one of them was Caesar Salad. It was so delicious, anchovies included. I remember him doing something with the eggs, maybe coddling them, but not sure. It fascinated me. He also made homemade croutons to top it off! This is a wonderful memory of mine, watching my dad experimenting with new dishes for the family for Sunday dinners.
Excellence.
I in fact worked in a fancy restaurant in Boston's Back Bay in the late 80's. We made the caesar tableside in large maple bowls, LOL. We would use two forks. Crush whole garlic cloves with the anchovies and salt. A few turns with the pepper mill. Then, crack an egg and separate it. Whites went to the pastry chef for meringues. Yolk[s] over the crushed garlic and achovies. Mix. Then we'd stream the olive oil with one hand and mix with the other. We'd draw this part out a bit for show. Then we'd squeeze the lemon and mix. The guests could see the major brightening of the color from the citric acid. Then we added the lettuce and tossed. The cheese was grated on to each salad to customer preference. It was quite a show and we got very good [and fast] at it.