Salad fit for a King (or Queen)

Chef's Catalog seems to have taken a page from Williams-Sonoma.  They now integrate food products and recipes into their catalog.  And while I don't usually buy food products from catalogs, it makes the reading more fun.

Here's a recipe for Caesar salad that's been in their last two catalogs, promoting their solid maple salad bowl, and smaller serving bowls.  It nicely bypasses the raw egg yolk issue by substituting mayonnaise as the emulsifying catalyst in the recipe.

I don't eat many anchovies (before yesterday, that would have read "I don't eat any anchovies"), so instead of getting a can, I bought some anchovy paste and used about two teaspoonsful in the recipe instead. I made the dressing (enough to serve six), and then dressed enough romaine for a salad for me, so the rest is in my refrigerator.   I also topped it with croutons, as that is how this salad goes in my mind.  Here's the what it looks like.

2 large garlic cloves
4 anchovies, patted dry
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus two tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 head of romaine lettuce, trimmed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (please use Reggiano Parmigiano)
Shaved Parmesan for garnish

In a mini-chopper, process the garlic and anchovies into a paste.  Add the lemon juice, mayonnaise and salt, and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow stream and blend until emulsified.  In a large bowl, toss romaine with dressing and Parmesan and pepper to taste.  Serves 6.

[Showpiece Caesar serving set from Mountain Woods]

Comments

[Joan]

I am always tempted by the recipes in these catalogs as well. I figure they have tested them over and over to come up with the best version possible.

[fragileindustries]

Yum, my favorite salad, and yes, it *must* have croutons. (See, I like the asterisk thing too. I'm not completely humorless about punctuation. Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.) Home made croutons, of course. The stuff in bags might as well be cardboard. You didn't say, did you like the dressing?

[riannan]

My oversight, Fragile. It was delicious. Yes, homemade croutons. Next time I'll throw in another clove of garlic. I love garlic.
Re: punctuation-I agree with you. I do notice bad spelling and punctuation and probably make unwarranted assumptions. And am abashed when it's my mistake.