Easy Caesar Salad


Special equipment

Wire whisk

Salad

3 Romaine lettuce hearts, washed, dried, stalks removed, and hand-torn
6 button mushrooms, sliced
½ Cucumber, sliced
Old-fashioned style croutons (homemade, or from the bulk foods section of the grocery store)

Dressing

1½ T freshly squeezed lemon juice (be sure to strain pulp & seeds out)
1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
1½ t Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is good; I also have a recipe for homemade)
¾ t kosher salt (I prefer kosher salt because it is more pure; substitute ½ t regular table salt)
½ t dry mustard
¼ t freshly ground pepper
1 anchovy fillet, mashed up (optional; the best are the ones packed in salt - just soak in a small bit of water & rinse of excess salt)
2 egg yolks (Eggland eggs are best, and in my mind are safer than bulk eggs; also try organic)
½ c extra virgin olive oil (I like Wegmans Tuscan, but DaVinci is a good brand also)
¼ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I prefer authentic Parmigiano Reggiano)

Directions

Prepare salad ingredients (romaine, mushrooms, & cucumber) and store covered in refrigerator until ready to serve. (These can be prepared ahead of time, but the longer they are stored the more soggy and limp they will become.)

Combine lemon juice, crushed garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, dry mustard, pepper, and mashed anchovy (if using) in a wide mixing bowl. Mix well. Strain whites from eggs, leaving only the yolks and add immediately to the lemon juice mixture. Measure olive oil into a cup. With a wire whisk, gradually whisk in the olive oil into the lemon juice mixture. All should become emulsified (thick, creamy, well-mixed), provided you slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk all the while. As a last step, mix in the Parmesan cheese. You can store this mixture in a jar with a lid up to a full day and a half before serving.

To serve the salad, shake the dressing in the lidded jar, then drizzle and toss the salad to ensure that the greens are well coated. (You may not need all of the dressing.) Add the croutons at the last minute (so they don't get soggy), or just place in a bowl on the table for people to add, as desired.