More about Caesar Salads
The combination of crisp romaine lettuce leaves, lots of garlic, a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan, and a rich, creamy dressing -- ingredients that go into the classic Caesar -- have not changed much in the 80 years since the salad was created.
And even though styles of dishes, particularly salads, keep evolving, the trusty Caesar has hardly waned in popularity. ''It's one of the things that everybody wants to eat," says Kathy Sidell Trustman, whose Chestnut Hill hot spot, the Metropolitan Club, serves about 50 Caesars on a busy night. ''You have to have it [on the menu] -- at least in Boston." she says.
As a result, restaurants try to make their Caesars stand out a little. You can find the salad served with shaved Parmesan, with romaine hearts presented as a horizontal stack, with homemade croutons, and lately with the addition of grilled chicken, which turns the Caesar into a main course.
The legend of the salad is as dramatic as its original presentation. In the summer of 1924, Italian restaurateur Caesar Cardini was running low on food at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. He is said to have put together a salad for guests from whatever was on hand. It was prepared tableside, and when the dressing was ready, the romaine leaves were coated and placed stem-ends facing out in a circle around the plate, so diners could eat using fingers. The Caesar salad became wildly popular with tourists and celebrities who made the trip from Hollywood.
Now, the salad isn't prepared with the same tableside flourish, and forks are required, but the ingredients have not changed. Anchovies were not in the original salad, but they're added now. Diners today fall into two groups: those who want the salty little fish removed from their salads and those who prefer extra. For them, luxurious white anchovies (see below) are considered the ultimate treats.
The Metropolitan Club offers two Caesars. The classic features brioche croutons and a dressing made with muscat vinegar, anchovy paste, Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, egg yolks, and oil; the other is a grilled romaine salad served over ''brioche pillows," with the same Caesar dressing and white anchovies.
Chef Jeffrey Fournier developed the grilled salad more than a decade ago in Santa Monica, Calif. ''It was very experimental," he says. ''We'd been grilling frisee, and I began grilling romaine, serving it with an herbed vinaigrette." What appeals to him is ''the combination of the smokiness from the grill and the saltiness of the anchovies and the cheese." When the Metropolitan Club first opened, he says, the traditional Caesar outsold its grilled cousin by 300 percent. Now, the gap has narrowed to only 20 percent. ''I'm proud of that," he says. ''I think it's the direction Caesar salads will take."
At the South End's B&G Oysters, Caesar is the best-selling salad. ''We used to have an iceberg wedge on the menu, but Barbara [Lynch, the owner] and I got tired of it," says chef Greg Reeves. ''We wanted a classic salad and thought of a Caesar. It's a nice, simple, basic salad -- something everyone can relate to."
Reeves's dressing, which he calls Caesar aioli -- after the garlicky French mayonnaise -- uses red wine vinegar and grapeseed oil as a base, with chopped anchovies. He finishes the salad with marinated Italian or Spanish white anchovies. The salad also boasts homemade croutons from sourdough baguettes. The Caesar, he says, ''is our way of replacing a classic with a classic."
Traditionally, Caesar dressing is made with uncooked egg yolks, something that has made diners wary in recent years. Some restaurants make the dressing the classic way, others cook the egg briefly before adding it to the dressing. At Domani, chef Rene Michelena uses eggs to offer a twist, he says, ''but not so much that it turns people off." The dish actually has a few twists, and is the most popular salad on the appetizer menu of this popular newcomer in Copley Square.
Michelena combines romaine and red leaf lettuces and radicchio, and serves the salad with a soft-cooked whole egg on top. ''It looks like a hard-boiled egg, but as soon as you touch it, the yolk runs and you can mix it in and it makes the salad a little creamier," he says.
Instead of raw egg yolks in his dressing, he uses coddled eggs, which he believes make the mixture lighter, fluffier, and creamier. He blends the lightly cooked eggs in a food processor with Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces, garlic, and anchovy paste. Then he adds canola oil and lemon juice, and finishes the dressing with a top-quality olive oil. When orders come in, he adds Parmesan. The kitchen makes its own croutons, from focaccia. ''They are softer than other croutons," says Michelena.
And the modern interpretations of Cardini's classic go on, perhaps starting more culinary legends.
And even though styles of dishes, particularly salads, keep evolving, the trusty Caesar has hardly waned in popularity. ''It's one of the things that everybody wants to eat," says Kathy Sidell Trustman, whose Chestnut Hill hot spot, the Metropolitan Club, serves about 50 Caesars on a busy night. ''You have to have it [on the menu] -- at least in Boston." she says.
As a result, restaurants try to make their Caesars stand out a little. You can find the salad served with shaved Parmesan, with romaine hearts presented as a horizontal stack, with homemade croutons, and lately with the addition of grilled chicken, which turns the Caesar into a main course.
The legend of the salad is as dramatic as its original presentation. In the summer of 1924, Italian restaurateur Caesar Cardini was running low on food at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. He is said to have put together a salad for guests from whatever was on hand. It was prepared tableside, and when the dressing was ready, the romaine leaves were coated and placed stem-ends facing out in a circle around the plate, so diners could eat using fingers. The Caesar salad became wildly popular with tourists and celebrities who made the trip from Hollywood.
Now, the salad isn't prepared with the same tableside flourish, and forks are required, but the ingredients have not changed. Anchovies were not in the original salad, but they're added now. Diners today fall into two groups: those who want the salty little fish removed from their salads and those who prefer extra. For them, luxurious white anchovies (see below) are considered the ultimate treats.
The Metropolitan Club offers two Caesars. The classic features brioche croutons and a dressing made with muscat vinegar, anchovy paste, Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, egg yolks, and oil; the other is a grilled romaine salad served over ''brioche pillows," with the same Caesar dressing and white anchovies.
Chef Jeffrey Fournier developed the grilled salad more than a decade ago in Santa Monica, Calif. ''It was very experimental," he says. ''We'd been grilling frisee, and I began grilling romaine, serving it with an herbed vinaigrette." What appeals to him is ''the combination of the smokiness from the grill and the saltiness of the anchovies and the cheese." When the Metropolitan Club first opened, he says, the traditional Caesar outsold its grilled cousin by 300 percent. Now, the gap has narrowed to only 20 percent. ''I'm proud of that," he says. ''I think it's the direction Caesar salads will take."
At the South End's B&G Oysters, Caesar is the best-selling salad. ''We used to have an iceberg wedge on the menu, but Barbara [Lynch, the owner] and I got tired of it," says chef Greg Reeves. ''We wanted a classic salad and thought of a Caesar. It's a nice, simple, basic salad -- something everyone can relate to."
Reeves's dressing, which he calls Caesar aioli -- after the garlicky French mayonnaise -- uses red wine vinegar and grapeseed oil as a base, with chopped anchovies. He finishes the salad with marinated Italian or Spanish white anchovies. The salad also boasts homemade croutons from sourdough baguettes. The Caesar, he says, ''is our way of replacing a classic with a classic."
Traditionally, Caesar dressing is made with uncooked egg yolks, something that has made diners wary in recent years. Some restaurants make the dressing the classic way, others cook the egg briefly before adding it to the dressing. At Domani, chef Rene Michelena uses eggs to offer a twist, he says, ''but not so much that it turns people off." The dish actually has a few twists, and is the most popular salad on the appetizer menu of this popular newcomer in Copley Square.
Michelena combines romaine and red leaf lettuces and radicchio, and serves the salad with a soft-cooked whole egg on top. ''It looks like a hard-boiled egg, but as soon as you touch it, the yolk runs and you can mix it in and it makes the salad a little creamier," he says.
Instead of raw egg yolks in his dressing, he uses coddled eggs, which he believes make the mixture lighter, fluffier, and creamier. He blends the lightly cooked eggs in a food processor with Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces, garlic, and anchovy paste. Then he adds canola oil and lemon juice, and finishes the dressing with a top-quality olive oil. When orders come in, he adds Parmesan. The kitchen makes its own croutons, from focaccia. ''They are softer than other croutons," says Michelena.
And the modern interpretations of Cardini's classic go on, perhaps starting more culinary legends.
posted by CW at 12:32 PM
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