A few weeks ago I noticed an old jar of anchovies wrapped around capers in my fridge. The truth is, I don’t really like anchovies that often, so who knows how long they had been there. And I only like them on pizza with olives or in Caesar dressing. Then last weekend I made a grapefruit tart with champagne meringue that left me with a lot of egg yolks. Finally, the weather got really hot and local lettuce became plentiful. The perfect storm of anchovies, yolks and hot weather demanded a Classic Caesar salad. So I set to work. Of course, I needed to make homemade croutons, which was fine, since panzanella season follows local lettuce season. And I needed to perfect my Caesar dressing. And I’m pleased to say, I really think I did. At least for my taste, it’s creamy, the good cheese really makes it, it’s salty, and not too fishy, but you know the anchovies are there, all in all, I nailed the balance. I will warn you, this makes a lot of dressing, and it doesn’t keep that long, so you might want to cut the recipe down by a third, or have some company over, or be prepared to eat some Caesar dressing for a week or so. I have an feeling that you won’t mind. There’s something about the Classic Caesar Salad that’s so satisfying, and being able to make it yourself is a good classic skill.
- croutons
- 4 chicken breasts (1 per person)
- fresh parmesan in block form for shaving over the top
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce
- Caesar Dressing
- zest of one lemon
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic (white wine, apple cider, white vinegar all the get job done without staining the chicken)
- 9 anchovies
- 9 large capers
- 2 fresh cloves garlic
- 4+ tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 table spoons olive oil
- fresh black pepper
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup + vegetable oil
- 5+ tablespoons parmesan cheese (this is the time to use an economical but flavorful type- the other flavors are really strong)
- Marinate the chicken at least one hour but up to overnight.
- When you’re ready to cook it, bring it to room temperature first.
- Using a grill pan or a grill, cook the breasts until the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 if you want to be sure it’s safe (about 10 minutes on each side). Let it cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing (a food processor or blender will make this a snap) but it can be done by hand with a mortar and pestle or a knife and a spoon.
- Place the anchovies, capers, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, yolks and parmesan in the food processor and process until smooth.
- Slowly pour in the oils. After a half a cup of vegetable oil, check the consistency and creaminess. You may need more. And I like a lot more lemon juice.
- You will have a lot of extra dressing. But don't worry, it will keep for awhile.
- Rinse the lettuce and make a bed.
- Place sliced chicken and croutons on the lettuce.
- Shave fresh parmesan over the top (now's the time for the good stuff). I found an amazing buffalo milk parm that was perfect for this dish. Buffalo milk has a very bright citrus-y note that went so well with this dish.
- Add some dressing. Now this, is a Caesar salad.
