Christmas
The Stanley Hotel Caesar Salad
- Serves 4-6
Author Notes
This recipe is based on the Caesar from The Stanley Hotel circa the 1950's. My husband's great great aunt, after one too many martinis, marched into the hotel's kitchen, poked the chef on his chest, and refused to leave without it. Now, it's a family heirloom and served on holidays, birthdays, Super Bowl Sundays - you name it. The original recipe is mega-sized and could easily serve ten or more people. Since the measurements are listed à la "a big squirt" of this and "a lot of" that, it's been a difficult to scale back. After several years of trying, I've finally got it to where I want it....and celebrated with a martini. —theicp
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- For The Rye Croutons
-
4
c. {About six small slices} rye bread cubed to about 1/4"-1/2" pieces
-
1/4
c. Olive oil
-
2
T. Garlic powder
-
2
t. Kosher salt
- For The Salad
-
3
Hearts of romaine, chopped and roughly torn, rinsed, and pat dry
-
1/3
c. Olive oil
-
3
Small cloves of garlic, minced
-
1
T. Anchovy paste
-
1
T. Worcestershire
-
1
t. Dijon mustard
-
1
Egg
-
4
T. Lemon juice
-
1
c. Freshly grated Parmesan
-
Kosher salt & fresh pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Coat and toss the bread cubes with olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Spread them out on the lined baking pan and cook between 15 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, golden brown and crispy but still with a bit of chew. Set aside and let cool.
- In a small bowl or jar, make the dressing by mixing the olive oil, minced garlic, anchovy pasta, Worcestershire, and Dijon. Add a pinch of salt. {Party tip: make this the night before and put in a jar. Let the jar sit at room temperature as you're preparing dinner. Just before you're ready to serve, just shake and toss.}
- Just before you're ready to serve, assemble a station. Add the romaine and croutons to your serving bowl. Set out the dressing in one small bowl and the lemon juice in another. {Don't mix them.} Set out the grated parmesan, have the salt and pepper on hand, and grab your egg. Have another small empty bowl on standby for the egg.
- Once the station is prepped, coddle the egg. {I do this by filling a medium sized bowl halfway with water, microwaving it for three minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave and gently place the whole egg in the hot water. Let it sit for one minute, rolling around if need be so that the egg is fully submerged.}
- Separate the egg, adding the yolk to the small, empty bowl and discarding the white. Whisk with a fork.
- Immediately after the egg yolk has been coddled, toss the salad with the dressing so that the lettuce and croutons are evenly coated. Pour the egg yolk on the surface of the salad, then pour the lemon juice directly on top of where you poured the egg yolk. Toss until evenly coated.
- Add the parmesan and toss until evenly distributed. Generously eason with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste and serve immediately.
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