If you love a Caesar salad and love the convenience of making all things at home keep reading, I may have something you can appreciate.
Salads are increasingly, and too commonly in my opinion, becoming yet another one of America’s most luxurious delicatessens. I understand expensive salads are not new, but I’m certain they were revered alongside other expensive dishes, not the local health food shop in a hip new town. Lettuce is now nearly $4.00 a bunch at grocery stores. At restaurants, if you blink fast enough, you’ll get to see what was once an $11.00 salad magically turn into $17.00. And that’s before you get the chance to add protein.
Let me preface this recipe with – I don’t particularly care for anchovies, and they will not be in this salad dressing. Does that mean it’s not “technically” Caesar salad Dressing anymore? I don’t really know? What I do know is that I don’t want to see their beady eyes looking up at me and I’m also likely not going to waste my time trying to find them in a grocery store.
This recipe – as it is a lazy one – features store bought croutons. But if you love the idea of making your own croutons… I’ve got a recipe for that too! Now that I’ve gotten all those disclaimers out of the way, there’s this delicious Caesar salad I know of with freshly cracked black peppercorn, deliciously creamy dressing and topped with fresh parmesan cheese, and I really want to tell you about it.
Let’s get into this salad, shall we?
Lex's Lazy Day Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- Croutons
- Parmesan Cheese Shredded, or prepared to your preference.
- 1 Bunch Romaine Lettuce
Salad Dressing
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
- 1 ½ tbsp Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon preferred brand)
- ¾ Lemon, juiced Start with ½ a lemon, gradually increase.
- 1 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Black Peppercorns Ground, feel free to add more.
- Salt to Taste
- 1 - 2 tbsp Water
Protein
- Protein of your choice Works well with Chicken, Steak, Shrimp, etc.
Instructions
- In a blender, add Dijon Mustard, the yolk of one egg, minced garlic and lemon juice. Blend until smooth - the garlic should incorporate into the egg and dijon mustard. When you check the blender to see how smooth the mixture is, add in salt and the ground peppercorns and continue to blend.
- While the blender is on, slowly pour the vegetable oil into the spout of the blender, allowing the ingredients to fully incorporate. Once the creamy mix has formed fully, transfer to a small jar or bowl.
- The dressing should be thick. Taste test. It should be slightly sour - this would be a great time to fold in any remaining lemon juice, and salt to suit your taste.
- Once the taste is to your preference, slowly add in 1 - 2 tablespoons of water to thin out the dressing, making it easier to mix into your salad.
- Prepare the lettuce, by chopping. Prepare the protein of your choice and top with croutons and plenty of parmesan cheese.
What do you think?