(serves 4)
The word “real” appears in quotes because this is not, in fact, a truly authentic Caesar salad. As originally concocted back in Tijuana in the 1920s, the salad was prepared at a table in front of the patron in a grand show of fuss: rubbing raw garlic around the inside of a wooden bowl, drizzling the liquid ingredients into the bowl, then adding the lettuce, coddled eggs, grated cheese, and croutons and tossing it all together. (Anchovies didn’t become a part of the recipe until sometime later.)
My recipe, in contrast, calls for preparing the dressing in advance, which makes it far easier as a dinner party dish. But I still call the salad “real” because—unlike most Caesars you find in restaurants—it uses coddled eggs, which to my mind are what makes the salad worthy of its name.
The recipe may look complex, but the croutons, dressing, and lettuce can all be prepared in advance. (Wash and tear up the lettuce, wrap it in a paper towel, and place it in a plastic bag in the fridge until time to dress the salad.)
7 tablespoons (a little under ½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups French bread, cut into ½ʺ cubes
1 medium-size clove garlic
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs in their shells, at room temperature
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Directions
MAKE THE CROUTONS
Toss the bread cubes with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and bake on a baking sheet in a preheated 375°F oven until golden brown (10–15 minutes), tossing occasionally to prevent burning. The croutons can be made several days in advance; just put them in an airtight plastic bag once cooled, and freeze until an hour before service.
MAKE THE DRESSING
Chop the garlic until fine (or put it through a press), then add the anchovy paste and mash together until it forms a paste. Scrape the paste into a small mixing bowl, then add the sugar, black pepper, mustard, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce, and combine till smooth. Slowly drizzle in the rest of the olive oil (4 tablespoons), mixing all the while with a wire whisk until emulsified. You can let this sit on the countertop until time to dress the salad, but give it a good whisk before using. (It can also be kept in the fridge if made the day before, but be sure to let it come back up to room temperature before using.)
CODDLE THE EGGS
A few minutes before you want to serve the salad, get a small saucepan of water (enough to cover the eggs) simmering on the stove. Using a large spoon, place the eggs into the simmering water (being careful not to crack their shells) and let them cook for 1 to 1½ minutes. Pour the hot water out of the pan and, leaving the eggs in, refill with cold water to stop the cooking process.
COMPOSE THE SALAD
Place the lettuce in a salad bowl, and toss with the dressing. Then, holding the eggs one at a time in the palm of your hand, crack them in two with a butter knife and use a teaspoon to spoon the egg into the salad. (Pour the yolk over the lettuce, and then break the white of the egg into small pieces with the spoon as you scoop it out of the shell.) Toss again to mix in the egg evenly.
If you are serving individual salads, plate up the dressed egg/lettuce mixture, and then distribute the cheese and croutons evenly between the plates. Otherwise, add the cheese and croutons to the large bowl and give the salad one final toss before serving. Finish with freshly ground black pepper.