Caesar salad

Caesar salad is a fresh green dish that is typically served as a side or an appetiser. There are many variations, and we opted for a version very close to the classic with romaine lettuce, homemade croutons, cheese chips, and a Caesar salad dressing made with egg yolks, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and garlic. It is a popular dish that can be enjoyed all year long and is easy to make in no time.

The salad consists of just a few components. Start by making the Caesar salad dressing and bake the cheese chips and croutons in the oven until golden and crispy. Once everything is ready, assemble the salad, starting with the lettuce leaves. Arrange them in large, deep plates and spread cheese chips and croutons on top. For a final flourish, garnish the dish with cheese and dressing.

The popular dish is said to have been invented in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1924 by the Italian-American restaurateur Cesare Cardini also known as Caesar Cardini. According to Cardini's daughter, the salad was created when American customers overran the restaurant on the fourth of July and the kitchen was short on ingredients. As a result, Cardini assembled a simple dish and made do with what he had left in the kitchen. The salad became so popular that it was served in restaurants all over the world, and now you can enjoy the easy dish at home, benefitting from Cardini’s ingenuity with only a few ingredients.

Traditional Caesar salad is made with parmesan cheese and is usually added as a topping right before serving so the cheese maintains its texture and will not get soggy. Parmesan has a strong flavour with fruity and nutty notes, but you can choose whatever cheese you like. For this recipe, we use a delicious type of shredded cheese made to melt and brown deliciously, consisting of cheddar, Maasdam and matured cheese. It will melt just a tiny bit when sprinkled on top of the salad with the slightly warm croutons and it will get deliciously crisp and tasty when used for the cheese chips.

It is really easy to make a dressing for Caesar salad. Put egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper in a blender and blitz at the highest speed for roughly 1 minute or until the mixture is light and creamy. Once the dressing has the desired consistency, cover it and pop it in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes. Taste to see if the dressing needs more flavour. It is the best and easiest classic Caesar salad dressing!

Make homemade croutons for Caesar salad with white bread and olive oil. Tear the bread into smaller pieces and toss it with oil on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Toast the bread in the middle of the oven at 200°C for about 10 minutes. Remember to turn the croutons 1-2 times while they are in the oven. They should be browned and golden and crispy on the outside while slightly chewy on the inside.

Most recipes use romaine lettuce for Caesar salad to keep the dish fresh and crisp. The green leaves are preferred over other types of lettuce as they are sturdy and can stay crunchy and tolerate heat without wilting. Romaine lettuce offers a very refreshing and juicy taste with a mild, slightly bitter flavour that pairs well with the other ingredients.

We do not suggest freezing homemade Caesar salad dressing as it does not thaw very well. We suggest you whip up a fresh batch of the creamy dressing, as it takes less time to make a fresh dressing than to thaw it – especially if the texture is off.

You can make all the components ahead of time and assemble the salad just before serving it. Store the lettuce and dressing in the fridge for a couple of days until you need them. Prepared croutons and cheese chips can be stored separately at room temperature in an airtight container. The croutons will last up to 1 week and the cheese chips will keep for 2-4 days. Combine all the ingredients just before serving.