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Grilled Caesar Salad

Source of Recipe

From "See You On Sunday" by Sam Sifton


Recipe Introduction

"This is a cool trick for a salad to accompany steaks. If you set yourself up properly, you can cook it as the meat rests. I learned how to make it from the same guy who taught me to make dry-rubbed steaks, the chef Alan Ashkinaze, who spent years working for Laurent Manrique before setting out on his own as the executive chef of the Manhattan steak house Gallagher's. The lime zest and white balsamic in the vinaigrette are particularly excellent additions to what otherwise is a fairly typical take on Caesar, albeit one prepared above glowing coals. They're fancy. Sometimes we're fancy. If you want an easier version, make grilled lettuce."

List of Ingredients

For the Caesar dressing:
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
â—¦ 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
â—¦ 3 large egg yolks
â—¦ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
â—¦ ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vinaigrette:
â—¦ 1 tablespoon lime zest
â—¦ Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
â—¦ 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
â—¦ ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
â—¦ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 2 heads romaine lettuce, tops and bottoms trimmed neatly and the heads cut lengthwise into quarters
â—¦ ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese


Recipe

Make the Caesar dressing. Put the minced garlic into a medium bowl and add the minced anchovies. Using a whisk, mix and mash these ingredients together until they form a paste. Add the egg yolks and mustard, and begin to whisk them with the paste. Add a small stream of oil while continuing to whisk. Add more oil, whisking all the while, until the dressing begins to emulsify. (You can do this in a food processor, and I often do.) Add the Worcestershire and continue to whisk until the dressing achieves a mayonnaise-like consistency. Add the red wine vinegar, whisk to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Make the vinaigrette. Combine the lime zest, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, and oil in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Make the salad. Drizzle the oil over the quartered heads of lettuce. Lightly grill the lettuce over a dying charcoal fire or a gas burner set on low, for 15 to 20 seconds on each side, until they have a light goldenness; remove to a platter. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, paint the Caesar dressing over the lettuce, making sure to get dressing between the leaves. Return the lettuces to the edges of the grill, sprinkle with the cheese, and cover for 30 seconds to allow the cheese to soften and toast. Remove the lettuce to a platter and drizzle with the lime vinaigrette. Serve a piece alongside each serving of whatever else it is you've grilled.