Few salads are more iconic than Caesar. We turned to chef Kier Puckett at Mike Shannon’s Steaks & Seafood for his take on this steakhouse classic. Step one: Put down that bottled dressing. This umami-packed DIY version uses raw egg yolks, white anchovy fillets, roasted garlic and cold olive oil – Puckett’s secret to a thick, rich dressing. Step two: Give the emperor of salads a proper throne. Add the dressing to a nonreactive wooden or glass serving bowl (We like Narcise natural wood salad bowls.), then toss with crisp romaine. Hail, Caesar!
Caesar Salad Courtesy of Mike Shannon’s Steaks & Seafood’s Kier Puckett 4 servings
2 to 4 slices grilled baguette, plus more for serving
4 white anchovy fillets,* coarsely chopped
3 roasted garlic cloves
2 egg yolks
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Dash Worcestershire sauce
½ cup cold olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the baguette slices to create about ? cup breadcrumbs. Add the anchovy fillets, garlic, egg yolks, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire and puree until well blended. With the machine running, add the oil in a slow stream to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Pour the dressing into a serving bowl. Add the romaine and toss to coat. Serve with grilled baguette slices.
*Available at Straub’s in Clayton
-photo by Greg Rannells
This article appears in November 2015.