Favourite Thing Friday

My favourite thing this Friday is caesar salad!

This last time I toasted some baguette slices that were brushed with plenty of melted butter and garlic.  I added shaved strips of parmesan on top of the salad, plus added lots of ground parmesan into the dressing.  The creaminess of the dressing, the nutty saltiness of the parmesan shavings, the crunch of the lettuce and baguettes - pure heaven!

I combined a few different recipes I'd found online for the dressing.  The key ingredient in my mind was the anchovy paste.  I hate chopping up lose little oily anchovies with their tiny bones - the anchovy paste is affordable and convenient without sacrificing flavor. 

I should have actually measured my ingredients so I could share with you a cohesive recipe.  I'll give you the basic parameters and then you can certainly add things or use less of an ingredient.  I used my food processor, because you will need to make an emulsion-type dressing (kind of like a mayonnaise).  I think you could easily use a blender, too - but my processor just works a lot more quickly and consistently. 


Caesar Salad (inspired from Simply Recipes, The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

baguette slices:
1 loaf baguette bread, sliced thinly
6 T melted butter
2 tsp garlic powder
kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to melted butter.  Brush onto slices of baguette and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden and crispy.

dressing:
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 T anchovy paste
1 T dijon mustard
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 T red wine vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise

1.  In a food processor, add all ingredients except olive oil and mayo.  Pulse until combined.
2.  In a steady stream, add the olive oil until emulsified (will look kind of fluffy).
3.  Lastly, put the dressing into a bowl or container and fold in the mayo. 

To assemble the salad: 

Toss cold salad greens with dressing - top with shaved parmesan and serve with toasted baguette slices. 

Hope you enjoy my favourite salad!  Head on over to Mrs P to see what her favourite thing is this Friday!