The salad is named after its creator, Caesar Cardini, an Italian-American restaurateur. According to legend, if you want to believe in that, Caesar Cardini invented the salad in 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico – of all places! At the time, Cardini owned a restaurant in Tijuana that was popular with American tourists looking to enjoy a night out during Prohibition. One busy Fourth of July weekend, Cardini’s restaurant was running low on supplies, so he threw together a salad using ingredients he had on hand. The salad was a hit with customers, and Cardini continued to serve it at his restaurant.
The original Caesar salad recipe did not include anchovies or chicken. The dressing was made with raw egg yolk, but in later years, pasteurized egg yolk was used to reduce the risk of salmonella. Over time, variations of the Caesar salad were developed, and today, it is a popular menu item in many restaurants around the world.
Now, I don’t want be one of those women who asks her husband to go out at 3am for McDonald’s or who starts to eat oranges or taking pills with every meal. Rather, I will be the woman who can’t shake her need for homemade dressing, and who tiptoes to the kitchen at 1am when she can’t sleep to make a triple batch of caesar dressing and then proceeds to eat it with crackers/a loaf of bread/fingers.
Ya… that’s more like it.
Even if you’re not a complete psychopath for dressing, you will love. this. dressing. I’m not kidding, I’m not ashamed to say me and the BF ate 3 bunches of romaine and an entire loaf of white bread worth of croutons because of this dressing… it was straight crazy. Don’t believe me? Try it out.
What we’re making ~ Caesar dressing
Makes 2 cups
2 anchovy filets
2 garlic cloves
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup half and half
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (or the juice from half a lemon)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra milk for thinning
In a small food processor, blend together the anchovies and garlic. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture is completely blended together. If it’s too thick for your taste, add milk a Tbsp at a time to thin it out. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. For best results, let refrigerate over night.
What we’re making ~ Garlic croutons
Makes approximately 3 cups
1 small loaf of freshly made bread (day old from a bakery is best)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, halved
2 tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice bread into one inch cubes (tip: freeze bread first to make it easier to cut and reduce crumbs).
- Melt butter and garlic cloves together in a small bowl in the microwave.
- In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the garlic butter until the bread is coated.
- Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle cubes with salt. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until croutons are browned on all sides (careful not to burn!)
- To make the salad: Grill a plain chicken breast with plenty of salt and pepper, and once cooked slice into thin strips.
- Wash and chop romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces, top with chicken, fresh croutons, caesar dressing, and a grate of fresh parmesan cheese.
Enjoy! Tell me what you think!
