dementia praecox

It's that time of the year, but I was surprised that we had it such ad-hoc-ly (omg is this even a word!?!) yesterday.

Went to the market early yesterday and got all the ingredients for my side of the food preparation, plus I need to smuggle out that little something I made specially for the group. Hope they like it. Photos will obviously be up but here's a sneak preview~
Now let me emo for a while.... Why I had to do Cesar Salad!?! So many ingredient and weird techniques I never try before... *pouts* So, I'll show you the recipe...

1/2 to 3/4 cup homemade croutons (see directions below)
1 coddled egg (see directions below)*
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic (1 to 2 medium cloves with inner green germ removed)
1 anchovy fillet, mashed**
Pinch of coarse salt 2 tablespoons (1/2 lemon) freshly squeezed lemon juice***
3 drops Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano),divided
1 head Romaine lettuce, hearts and tender leaves only
Coarsely ground black pepper

How to make croutons:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Trim the crust from day-old peasant-style bread (Italian or French bread) and dice into 3/4-inch cubes. Toss with enough olive oil to coat, but not drench. Sprinkle lightly with salt and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until just golden brown. Halfway through the baking time, give the pan a shake to make sure the croutons toast evenly. Remove from oven and completely cool croutons. Store in an airtight container.

How to coddle eggs:
Coddling causes the yolk to become slightly thickened and warm. Bring a very fresh egg to room temperature by immersing it in warm water (otherwise it might crack when coddled). Place the egg in a small bowl or mug and pour boiling water around the egg until it is covered. Let stand for exactly 1 minute. Immediately run cold water into the bowl until the egg can be easily handled; set aside.

How to make Caesar Salad dressing:
In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy, and salt until blended. Whisk in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in the coddled egg until the mixture is thick, approximately 1 minute (this enable the lemon juice to "cook" the eggs). Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with one hand while vigorously whisking the mixture with the other. When the dressing is well combined, whisk in 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese.

How to assemble Caesar Salad:
Separate the Romaine leaves and discard the coarse outer leaves. Wash, drain, and pat with paper towels or spin dry the remaining leaves. Note: Lettuce should be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use. Tear into bite-size pieces and set aside.

In a large wooden salad bowl, add 1/3 of the dressing and toss with the croutons until well coated. Add the Romaine lettuce pieces and the remaining dressing; toss until coated.

How to serve Caesar Salad:
Divide the salad between chilled plates and sprinkle each salad with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and coarsely ground pepper.

Serve immediately with chilled forks.
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Credits: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Salad/CaesarSalad.htm

After note:

So I didn't exactly follow the recipe.

For croutons, I used garlic bread toasted dry. Then, I substitute mayonnaise with plain sugar free yogurt because someone don't eat mayonnaise. I add additional Worcestershire sauce (1/2 teaspoon more) and another slice of lemon just in case.

My rendition of this salad is also without anchovies. Even though I did the coddled egg thing (which was a little fail because we end up with half of the egg whites in it too) we still lack the 'meat' flavor. So what I did was toss in lots of cheese.

Also, I let people decide between the croutons or the barbecue crisp I brought along. Overall, it wasn't a fail, but it is not something I will attempt again.

The procession of the barbecue was interesting as I switch between the chores of managing fire, sorting out food and ultimately ended up whipping some mango chicken, drunken bbq prawns, cheesy beef slabs and other impromptu dishes.

The vibe wasn't as good as I hope for and we had a few incidents but overall, the gathering ended without mishap. (Sort of.)

I have to thank Andrew for specially coming over to drive me home. If not, I would've throw a tantrum. Definitely.

Labels: Foodies, Meet-ups, Rants