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Salade César - En-tete

Authentic American Caesar Salad

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4.93/5 (13)
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Marc Winer

Ingredients

Garlic Croutons

  • 120 ml olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 16 slices baguette, 0.5 cm thick (4 per person)

Salad

  • 3 heads of romaine lettuce medium

Caesar Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt, about
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, or 8 turns of the pepper mill
  • Juice of 2 lemons or 2 limes, or one of each
  • 12 drops Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 eggs
  • 50 g Parmesan grated, or Romano

Procédé

Garlic Croutons

  • Make the garlic oil by adding the crushed garlic cloves to the olive oil.
    120 ml olive oil, 4 cloves garlic,
    Salade César - Préparer l'huile à l'ail en mettant les gousses d'ail écrasées dans l'huile d'olive.
  • Cut the baguette into 0.5 cm thick slices, 4 per person.
    16 slices baguette,
  • Brush the slices with the garlic oil using a pastry brush.
    Salade César - Badigeonner les tranches d'huile à l'ail au pinceau.
  • Dry them in a low oven at 120°C until they are completely dry.
    Salade César - Les faire sécher dans un four doux, à 120°C, jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient bien sèches.
  • Then fry them in the rest of the garlic oil until they are golden and the oil has been absorbed.
    Salade César - Les faire ensuite frire dans le reste de l'huile à l'ail, jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient dorées et que l'huile soit absorbée.
  • For a stronger garlic flavor, blend some of the garlic with the oil and add it only at the very end of cooking the croutons, as garlic burns very quickly.
  • Set the croutons aside in a bowl, ready for assembly.
    Salade César - Réserver les croûtons dans un bol, prêts pour le montage.

Salad

  • Remove the dark outer leaves from the romaine.
    3 heads of romaine lettuce
    Salade César - Retirer les feuilles extérieures foncées des romaines.
  • Cut through the core about 5 cm from the base to release the leaves.
    Salade César - Couper le trognon à environ 5 cm de la base, pour libérer les feuilles.
  • Keep the leaves whole, without cutting or tearing them.
    Salade César - Garder les feuilles entières, sans les couper ni les déchirer.
  • Keep the leaves in the fridge until assembly: they need to be well chilled.

Caesar Dressing

  • Squeeze the juice from the lemons.
    Juice of 2 lemons or 2 limes,
    Salade César - Presser le jus des citrons.
  • If you like, strain it through cheesecloth or squeeze it directly with a citrus juicer.
  • Grate the Parmesan.
    50 g Parmesan
    Salade César - Râper le parmesan.
  • Set it aside in a bowl, ready for assembly.
  • Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.
  • Lower the whole eggs, still in their shells, into the water and cook them for exactly 1 minute.
    2 eggs
    Salade César - Y plonger les œufs entiers, dans leur coquille, et les cuire exactement 1 minute.
  • Take the eggs out of the water and set them aside.
  • Before you start assembling, set out on the counter the salt, pepper, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, citrus juice, eggs, grated cheese, croutons and well-chilled romaine leaves.
    Salade César - Réunir sur le plan de travail, avant de commencer le montage, le sel, le poivre, l'huile d'olive, la sauce Worcestershire, le jus d'agrume, les œufs, le fromage râpé, les croûtons et les feuilles de romaine bien froides.

Assembly

  • Have ready a large salad bowl, preferably a wooden one (it was always Caesar Cardini's choice), along with a salad fork and spoon.
  • Work in two batches if the bowl is too small to hold everything.
  • Put the romaine leaves in the bowl.
    Salade César - Mettre les feuilles de romaine dans le saladier.
  • Add the olive oil, salt and pepper.
    2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt,, 1 teaspoon black pepper,
    Salade César - Ajouter l'huile d'olive, le sel et le poivre.
  • Roll the leaves with the fork and spoon, gently turning them over on themselves, until they are well coated with oil.
    Salade César - Rouler les feuilles avec la fourchette et la cuillère, en les retournant doucement sur elles-mêmes, jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient bien enrobées d'huile.
  • Drizzle with the citrus juice and Worcestershire sauce.
    12 drops Worcestershire sauce
    Salade César - Arroser du jus d'agrume et de la sauce Worcestershire.
  • Crack the eggs directly over the leaves in the bowl.
    Salade César - Casser les œufs directement sur les feuilles, dans le saladier.
  • Roll the leaves again rather than tossing them, until the egg and the other ingredients form a creamy dressing that coats the leaves.
    Salade César - Rouler de nouveau les feuilles plutôt que les remuer, jusqu'à ce que l'œuf et les autres ingrédients forment une sauce crémeuse qui nappe les feuilles.
  • Add the croutons and grated cheese.
    Salade César - Ajouter les croûtons et le fromage râpé.
  • Toss to coat the croutons in the dressing and make the cheese cling to the leaves.
    Salade César - Remuer pour enrober les croûtons de sauce et faire adhérer le fromage aux feuilles.
  • Arrange the leaves on the plates with the stems facing outward, so they can be eaten with your fingers.
    Salade César - Dresser les feuilles sur les assiettes, la tige vers l'extérieur, pour pouvoir les manger avec les doigts.

Notes

Anchovies were not part of Caesar Cardini's original recipe: it was his brother Alex who added them. For anchovy lovers, you can offer a crouton spread with a little anchovy paste, and a small bowl of mashed anchovies served on the side.
For the citrus, you can use one lemon and one lime. Nobody knows exactly what Caesar used, because what is called a lemon in Mexico often corresponds to what we call a lime.
The leaves are arranged with the stems facing outward because the salad used to be eaten by hand. Chilling the plates and forks before serving adds to the elegance of the meal.
Some people make the dressing ahead of time, right in the salad bowl, mixing it with a fork. Many other little techniques have been added to the recipe over the years.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @marcwiner on Instagram!