Caesar Salad French Laundry

Total Time: 4 hrs Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 salt-packed anchovy fillets, deboned and soaked in milk,rinsed and drained (i used anchovy paste in the tube)
• 1 large egg yolk (i omitted and it emulsified wonderfully)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup canola oil
• pepper
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3 1/2 ounces parmigiano-reggiano cheese, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• kosher salt
• pepper
• 3 cups chiffonade romaine lettuce (long narrow strips, cut from the heart or small inner leaves)
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• fresh ground black pepper
• 12 croutons, from a baguette about 1/4 inches thick,toasted lightly
• parmigiano-reggiano cheese, shavings for garnish (made with a vegetable peeler--should be very thin)
• 2 cups balsamic vinegar

Recipe

• 1 heat the vinegar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until steam rises from the liquid.
• 2 place the saucepan on a heat diffuser and let the liquid reduce very slowly (it should not simmer!) for 2 or 3 hours until it has reduced and thickened to a syrupy glaze.
• 3 there should be about 1/2 cup of finished glaze.
• 4 keep the glaze in a squeeze bottle.
• 5 if the glaze is too thick, warm the bottle with hot water to loosen it.
• 6 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano (from a moist piece of cheese) (note: i used a little more) to make 12 one inch parmesan crisps (or about the size of the mold you are using): preheat the oven to 325f.
• 7 line a baking sheet with silpat (i used easy release foil).
• 8 sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of the cheese in one corner of the pan.
• 9 use your fingers to spread the cheese into a 2 inch circle, repeat with the remaining cheese until you have 12 rounds.
• 10 bake for 8- 10 minutes or until they are golden brown.
• 11 use a small spatula to transfer them to paper towels.
• 12 (they break very easily--i used the pieces if they crumbled).
• 13 they will be soft when they are removed but will stiffen as they cool.
• 14 store in airtight container for up to 2 days.
• 15 for the dressing:.
• 16 puree the garlic, shallots, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, and anchovies in a blender until smooth.
• 17 transfer to a mixer with the paddle attachment and beat in the egg yolk.
• 18 with the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oils.
• 19 season with pepper.
• 20 cover and refrigerate.
• 21 there will be more dressing than you need for this recipe, but the extra can be stored refrigerator for 3 days.
• 22 for the custards:.
• 23 place the cream, milk and parmesan chunks in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
• 24 turn off the heat, cover the pan and let the flavors infuse for 45 minutes.
• 25 preheat the oven to 300°f.
• 26 whisk the eggs and yolk together in a medium bowl.
• 27 reheat the cream mixture until it is hot.
• 28 while whisking, gradually strain the cream and milk on the eggs to temper them.
• 29 season with salt and pepper.
• 30 ladle 2 tablespoons of the custard mixture into 2 ounce aluminum molds, timbale molds or any other small molds.
• 31 (note: i placed foil cutouts in the bottom of each mold to facilitate unmolding).
• 32 place molds in a roasting pan and add hot water to come about halfway up the sides of the molds.
• 33 if you are using foil cups and they float, place a baking sheet or pan over them to hold them down.
• 34 cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes or until the custards are just set.
• 35 the edges should look set, but the very centers may not be.
• 36 remove the molds from the water bath and refrigerate the custards for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• 37 (note: it is okay if they tear or split as they are unmolded--just push them together on the crouton).
• 38 to complete:.
• 39 toss the romaine strips with grated parmesan and just enough dressing to lightly coat the lettuce.
• 40 season with pepper to taste.
• 41 place a spoonful of dressing on each plate.
• 42 run a small paring knife around the edge of each custard, dip the molds briefly in hot water and unmold each custard onto a crouton.
• 43 center one crouton in each pool of dressing.
• 44 lay a parmesan crisp over each custard and top with a stack of the salad.
• 45 place shavings of cheese over the romaine and garnish each plate with a ring or small pool of the balsamic glaze.