Grilled Caesar Salad | Spencer Watts

Ease of preparation rating: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

For the salad:

3 heads romaine hearts

4-ounce (113 g) pancetta, sliced, sautéed

¼ cup (60ml) parmesan cheese, grated

Cracked black pepper

For the sour dough:

Sourdough bread, thick sliced

For the parmesan chip:

¼ cup (60 ml) parmesan cheese, grated

For the dressing:

1 egg, room temperature

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon (5ml) Dijon mustard

3 anchovy fillets

2 cloves garlic, roasted

½ teaspoon (2.5ml) salt

½ teaspoon (2.5ml) cracked black pepper

1 cup (240ml) olive oil

Method:

For the dressing:

In a food processer, place the egg, ½ the lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, anchovies, salt, and pepper, blitz.

Slowly add olive oil while blitzing the mixture, once the mixture thickens the oil can be added faster.

If the mixture becomes too thick top up with a little more lemon juice.

Set aside.

For the parmesan chip:

On a nonstick skillet preheated to medium, sprinkle the parmesan cheese into ¼ inch high piled, large cookie-sized round.

Cook until the cheese melts, bubbles and forms a solid round.

Flip the cheese round and cook for an additional minute.

Remove from the pan, cool.

For the sour dough:

Turn on barbeque to medium or 350 F (175 C).

Place 2 slices of the sourdough bread on the grill cook for 1 minute turn to create a crosshatch pattern.

Turn the bread over and cook an additional minute on the alternate side or until the slice of bread is toasted.

Put aside and let rest at room temperature, then tear into crouton size chunks.
For the salad:

Preheat the barbeque to high or 400 F (205 C).

Half the romaine leaves length wise making sure that each piece is connected to a part of the stem.

Carefully wash the leaves.

Place the lettuce on the grill singe for 1 minute.

To finish:

Brush the lettuce with the dressing and place on the plates, top with the pancetta, torn grilled bread, cracked parmesan chips, parmesan cheese, and season with cracked pepper.

Note: Cooking times and temperatures will vary depending on the size and type of your barbeque