Caesar Salad

Brad and I spent a lot of time on YouTube during the infamous Covid lockdown of 2020. Cooking channels became a quick hit and inspired both of us to up our game in the kitchen. We became big fans of Molly Baz and when she published her cookbook, Brad was quick to gift it to me for my birthday. Her Caesar Salad (“Cae Sal”) recipe is amazing and topped with grilled chicken, it has quickly become a weekly favorite in the Cooper-Lempke household.

The recipe below includes the very loved Caesar dressing recipe is from “Cook This Book” by Molly Baz. I highly suggest checking it out.

Making Caesar dressing from scratch is slightly intimidating, but I promise, once you try it, you will never be able to go back to store-bought.

You will need…

• 2 egg yolks

• 1-2 cloves of garlic, diced

• Lemon zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

• 4-5 anchovies, mashed into a paste

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 oz (or 1/4 cup) grated parmesan cheese

Add egg yolks to medium size bowl. Add garlic, lemon zest, and juice of half of the lemon. Finely chop the anchovies and use the side of a chefs knife to mash into a homogenous paste. Add the mashed anchovies and Dijon mustard to bowl and whisk the mixture together. Slowly drizzle the vegetable oil into the mixture as you whisk consistently. You want the oil to incorporate and turn into a thick light yellow mixture.

Finally mix in salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and parmesan cheese. I like to transfer the dressing to a mason jar to store in the refrigerator.

To make the croutons, you can take a loaf of Italian or French bread and tear into small pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper.

Cook at 400 degrees F for 10-ish minutes, or until brown to your liking.

Chop up your romaine lettuce and add to large mixing bowl. Add croutons and generously drizzle with dressing. I like to add shaved parmesan as I toss.

Usually when Brad and I make this during the week, Brad takes care of grilling chicken to add on top.

We usually grill extra chicken and make this a meal or for lunch later in the week.

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Caesar Salad

Total Time- 20 minutes

Caesar Dressing

• 2 egg yolks
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Lemon zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4-5 anchoives
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3/4 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 oz (or 1/4 cup) grated parmesan cheese

Croutons & Salad

• 1/3-1/2 loaf Italian or French bread
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped Romaine lettuce

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Add egg yolks, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice to medium bowl.
3. Finely chop anchovies and use side of chefs knife to mash into a paste. Add anchoives to the mixing bowl and combine.
4. Starting with slow stream, add the vegetable oil and wisk thoroughly, making sure to incorproate the oil into the egg mixture.
5. Mix in salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and parmesan cheese. Store in a Mason jar or set aside.
6. Tear bread into crouton-sized pieces and arrange on a baking sheet.
7. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until desired toastiness.
8. Wash and chop Romaine lettuce and add to large bowl. Add desired amount of croutons to bowl and drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons of dressing. Toss with salad tongs.
9. Add grilled chicken, if desired, and top with extra shaved parmsan cheese.