Retro Caesar

The first recipe I've cooked out of "Impossible to Easy" is Retro Caesar. I don't usually eat salads, so I don't know what a classic Caesar contains normally. Which is why I wonder, "what makes this salad retro?" I won't ever know.

The recipe called for pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs are eggs that have been pasteurized in order to reduce the risk of food-borne illness in dishes that are not cooked or are only lightly cooked. They may be sold as liquid egg products or pasteurized in the shell. They are hard to find as I've discovered. So, to save myself the hassle I pasteurized my own eggs. It was fairly simple, however, I'm still consuming raw eggs at my own risk.

The process is having fresh eggs come to room temperature. Then, fill a small saucepan halfway with cool to cold water. Carefully place the eggs inside the water, laying them on the bottom of the saucepan in a single layer. Slowly heat the water. Place the saucepan on the stove and heat it using a medium heat setting. Allow the water to reach a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius). You have to hold it at 140 degrees for five whole minutes. It is helpful to have a timer ready. Then, just use them as needed.

For the croutons, I suggest baking more then 5 minutes, like the recipe called for. I had to bake mine for roughly 10-15 minutes. They were crunchy yet, slightly soft in the center and beautifully golden.

The Dressing needs to be tweaked. The recipe asked for 5 cloves of raw garlic to be blended into the emulsion. Too Much Raw Garlic. It made the dressing unbearably spicy. I also made the mistake of adding salt before the Parmesan cheese. Make sure to add salt and pepper last to properly gauge for flavor.

After everything has been assembled, it's a good salad. Mix-ins are an option, the recipe recommends anchovies. Just be aware that anchovies are very salty and the dressing should be tasted after every garlic clove when making it.

Enjoy!

#Salad #garlic