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Caesar's Salad, from Bruce Moffitt Recipes.com Caesar's Restaurant was a fixture in Tijuana, Mexico from 1927 through the forties and fifties, and may still be there in one form or the other. It was there shortly after it opened that Alex Cardini, Caesar Cardini's brother, created the Caesar Salad. Luckily, the restaurant was named Caesar's, or this marvelous creation would be known as the Alex Salad. Alex, who was an Italian fighter pilot in WW1, origionally named the salad the "Aviators Salad", in honor of his flying friends across the border at North Island, but the restaurant was named Caesar's, and as Caesar's it is known. This is a "Production" salad, and makes a grand entrance to a dinner, or quite a nice meal in itself. It is wonderful for showy tableside service. With a bit of judicious "trimming" here and there, it also makes a nice addition to the diet repertoire. The Romain should be fresh, crisp and properly torn into bite sized pieces. It should be cold and well drained. There is really very little cheese needed, but it should be a nicely scented one, finely and freshly grated. The croutons are important, be sure they do not scorch as they are being prepared. Now, to the Salad: CROUTONS: Cut a cup or so of good french bread into 1/3 inch dice. Toss around gently in a moderate frying pan with a sprinkle of olive oil and a couple crushed cloves of garlic. Add a couple more drops of olive oil from time to time. After ten or fifteen minutes, when the croutons get crisp and a bit browned around the edges, you can add a couple dots of butter and a dash of garlic salt. Toss around a bit, then reserve the croutons, rub your salad bowl down well with the garlic cloves, and discard the garlic. CODDLED EGG Let an egg warm to room temperature. Just before salad is prepared, drop egg into boiling water for one minute. Remove and let cool a bit. (There are possible health concerns, and a lot of paranoia, about eating slightly cooked eggs. I have been told that "Eggbeaters" work well here, and they are sterile. Use relatively little of them.) THE "CAESAR'S SALAD" PREPARATION: First, assemble the ingredients:
Put the lettuce in the wooden salad bowl that you have rubbed down well with garlic. Sprinkle with the oil and the cheese. Add the egg and the croutons, and sprinkle it all with the lemon, Worstershire, salt and pepper. Toss well, but try not to bruise the lettuce. Caesar's Salad, with a few glasses of Champagne, is a noted first course to lead into a dinner of rare Porterhouse steak, baked potato and a bottle of good red wine. Apple Pie, a bit of sharp Cheddar and a glass of old Port for dessert. Please to enjoy. |