New York Times Caesar Salad Dressing Recipes

GRILLED CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Make the Caesar dressing. Put the minced garlic into a medium bowl, and add the minced anchovies. Using a whisk, mix and mash these ingredients together until they form a paste. Add the egg yolks and the mustard, and begin to whisk them with the paste. Add a small stream of olive oil while continuing to whisk. Add more olive oil, whisking all the while, until the dressing begins to emulsify. Add the Worcestershire sauce, and continue to whisk until the dressing achieves a mayonnaiselike consistency. Add the red-wine vinegar, whisk to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Make the vinaigrette. Combine the lime zest, lime juice, balsamic vinegar and oil in another small bowl, and whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Make the salad. Drizzle the olive oil over the quartered heads of lettuce. Lightly grill these over a low fire for 15 to 20 seconds on each side, until they have a light goldenness, and remove to a platter. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, paint the Caesar dressing over the lettuce, making sure to get dressing between the leaves. Return lettuces to edges of grill, sprinkle with Parmesan and cover for 30 seconds to allow the cheese to soften and toast. Remove lettuce to a platter, and drizzle with lime vinaigrette. Serve two pieces each, alongside a steak.

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.

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.

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.

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 DRESSING

Steps:

• In a large wooden bowl, using a wooden spoon, mash chopped garlic cloves to a fine paste with salt.
• Stir in egg yolks and Dijon mustard.
• Add anchovies, and grind to a paste.
• Add lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce and season with pepper.
• Slowly whisk in olive/canola oil until dressing is creamy.
• Add lettuce to bowl, and toss to coat leaves thoroughly with dressing and grated Parmesan.
• Sprinkle croutons over salad.

THE BEST CAESAR SALAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Blend mayonnaise, egg substitute, Parmesan cheese, water, garlic, lemon juice, anchovy paste, sugar, parsley, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Transfer dressing to an airtight container and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.

CRISPY WONTON CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, peach preserves, mayonnaise, soy sauce, chili powder and onion powder, and season to taste with salt.
• Prepare the salad: Add the chicken to the dressing and toss.
• To fry the wonton wrappers, cut the squares into 1/2-inch strips, then cut those strips in half crosswise to shorten them. In a medium saucepan, heat an inch of oil over medium to 350 degrees, or until a wonton strip immediately bubbles when added. Carefully add the wonton strips to the hot oil and, stirring constantly with a slotted spoon, fry until puffy and golden, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Transfer the crispy wontons to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.
• Assemble the salad: Add the chopped romaine, scallions, cilantro, mint and half of the fried wontons to the bowl with the dressed chicken, and toss to combine. Season with salt as needed. Top with the remaining fried wontons and serve immediately.

SENOR CAESAR SALAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Blend anchovy fillets, garlic, lime juice, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, black pepper, chipotle pepper, capers, and hot pepper sauce in a blender until smooth. Stream oil into the anchovy mixture while continuing to blend until the oil is fully emulsified into the mixture; repeat with the vinegar. Thin dressing with water if too thick.