For this take on Caesar salad, the eggs are broken out from the dressing and served poached, and the garlic is saut�ed to give it a lighter taste.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
I love Caesar salads, but only if they're well-made and chock full of anchovies and garlic. In this version, I've broken out the ingredients from the dressing and used them directly in the salad. Using sautéed garlic instead of raw gives a lighter touch, and taking the egg out and cooking it gives the salad a trendy look and taste.
If you prefer the anchovies in the dressing, just cut them up and add them as indicated in the recipe, but I like about six strewn over the salad. The croutons have a different look than the little squares; they are much more interesting as all different shapes. Tear out the inside of a ciabatta loaf or sourdough. Leftover croutons keep well in a plastic bag in a cupboard. Do not refrigerate. The poached eggs can be made ahead of time and served cold or rewarmed in hot water for a minute.
Servings: 4
Garlic croutons
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic cloves
4 cups torn bread
Dressing
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yogurt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 chopped anchovies
¼ teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Salad
4 eggs, poached for 3 minutes
1 small head romaine lettuce, torn
½ sweet onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Method
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes or until golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove garlic from oil and set aside.
Toss bread with oil in skillet until well coated. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, turning pieces once, or until crisp and golden. Let cool.
Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, Worcestershire, anchovies, lemon rind and juice in a bowl and whisk until uniform. Drizzle in olive oil, a little at a time, and whisk until fully incorporated. Stir in parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Toss romaine with dressing until lightly coated. Divide between 4 bowls and sprinkle with croutons, fried garlic, onion and shaved parmesan. Top each salad with a poached egg.