At the end of the second season of Mind of a Chef, April Bloomfield effortlessly manifests a Caesar salad out of thin air, fit for the likes of kings and Michael Bauer alike. It was mesmerizing. Seriously, see for yourself.
April Bloomfield's Caesar Salad
I am about to admit something to you: I've never made a Caesar salad dressing before. I dunno, man, it just all seems so intimidating what with the raw egg and the anchovies and...just...shouldn't I leave it to the pros? You know, those guys who do it with tableside flair?
No. The answer is no, I shouldn't. Because this tastes so much better than the junk you get served tableside, AND it's fast, AND you can have as many croutons as you like minus that awkward moment when you have to decide whether you're eating a salad or a panzanella. Because once you see April Bloomfield dress those little gems, you won't be able to get it out of your head. Not to mention the sense of pride and accomplishment and satisfaction you get after your first taste--the best seasoning you could ever hope to achieve.
So go ahead, make this. Make this when you need to conquer a long-held and poorly-justified judgement. About dressing. Or Wednesday night dinner. Or whatever.
April Bloomfield's Caesar Salad
Slightly adapted from April Bloomfield's recipe over at Food and Wine found here.
Directions for making croutons out of a piece of sandwich bread are included here. I'm not gonna lie, if I were you reading the directions for making these croutons, I'd be like, "Would it kill her to include a measurement?" Whoops. Just eyeball it. I'm sure they'll turn out fine anyway. I used fewer anchovies than the original recipe called for because 10 anchovies just seemed like too many anchovies! Everything turned out fine, guys. Don't worry. I used white wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar since that's what I had, but by all means, if you only have red wine vinegar, go for it. Make sure you're using a neutral tasting oil, though--grapeseed or vegetable oil would work well here. You can usually find Little Gem lettuce at the farmers' market and it's generally worth the extra effort--if ever a lettuce were lively, then surely Little Gem. After you add in the Parmesan, take a moment to consider the dressing's consistency. You're looking for something that drizzles and flows--like a pancake batter.
I just ate this with my hands. It was cool.
Ingredients
1 piece of sandwich bread
A splash of olive oil
A dash of Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
5 anchovy fillets
1/4 cup white wine vinegar, plus a little more for thinning out
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove
1 large egg
1 cup canola oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 heads of Little Gem lettuce
Procedure
1. Preheat a toaster over to 400°. Remove crusts from the bread and cut into 1/4" cubes. Toss bread cubes with olive oil, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Spread out in a thin layer on a sheet pan and bake for about 5 minutes, or until toasty. Remove and set aside to cool.
2. In the receptacle of your handy dandy immersion blender, combine the anchovy fillets, vinegar, mustard, and garlic, and blend until smooth. Add in the egg and pulse it a few times until everything's combined.
3. Slowly drizzle in the oil while the blender's running until the dressing develops a thick consistency. Stop the blender, add in the grated Parmesan cheese, and stir with a spoon to combine. Thin, if necessary, with some extra vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Move your dressing into the fridge while you wash and dry the lettuce.
4. To serve, cover the bottom of a large bowl with lettuce. Drizzle some dressing on top of them and add a few croutons. Continue layering until you've got a salad you can be proud of. Throw in a few extra croutons for good luck.