Ingredients:

Recipe Serves 4 people
• Romaine Lettuce 2 heads

Dressing:
• Anchovy Paste 1.5 Tbls or Anchovy Fillets 6 to 10 each
• Garlic, chopped 1 Tbls
• Stone Ground Mustard 1 Tbls
• Pasturized Eggs 2 Tbls
• Worchestershire Sauce 2 teaspoons
• Dry Mustard (Mustard Powder) 1/2 teaspoon
• Lemon Juice of one lemon
• Safflower Oil 2 cups
• Balsamic Vinegar 1/4 cup
• Mayonnaise 1/4 cup
• Parmesan Cheese, Grated 1/2 cup
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Tobasco to taste

Croutons:
• Day Old Crusty French Bread 3/4 loaf
• Butter, Melted 1/4 cup or 1/2 stick
• Granulated Garlic 1 teaspoon
• Basil, dried 1 teaspoon
• Oregano, Dried 1 teaspoon
• Thyme, Dried 1/2 teaspoon
• Aged Asiago , grated 1/8 cup
• Black Pepper, ground to taste
• Salt to taste

Instructions and Comments:

Making the dressing is the hardest part of this recipe. First, peel the outer leaves off of the romaine, discard. Cut the bottom off of the bunch and chop evenly. Thouroughly wash the chopped romaine in cold water. Strain and place in a Salad Spinner to dry. The Key to a good caesar is dry lettuce. For the dressing: In a blender combine the anchovy, garlic, stone ground mustard, dry mustard, pasturized egg, worchestershire, and mayo. Blend for about 30 seconds on medium speed. If you have it, pull the center part out of the lid. If not, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the blender and poke a small hole in it. Next, mix together the oil and vinegar in a seperate bowl. Pour it into a large plastic cup. You will be adding this to the blender slowly. Now turn the blender back on and SLOWLY add the oil and vinegar. This will emulsify or bind the dressing. Add the juice of the lemon and season with salt, pepper and tobasco. Refrigerate for several hours. This recipe makes enough dressing for several more than four salads. Keep it in a sealed plastic container, and it will last for about a week.

For the croutons, Melt the butter in a small pot with the garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Let it boil for a minute. Dice the bread into small pieces. In a bixing bowl, bread first, then slowly pour the butter over the bread, try to evenly coat the bread with the butter by tossing the bread around with a spoon while you pour the butter in. Spread the bread onto a sheet pan and spirnkle the cheese on top. In a 350 degree oven, toast the croutons until the bread is a nice golden brown. Try to toss the croutons around while toasting to brown evenly. Cool to room temperature.

For the salad, In a mixing bowl, Mix 4 handfulls of romaine, 1/2 cup of dressing, and 2 cups of croutons together until the dressing evenly coats all the romaine. For the plates, Evenly divide the lettuce onto all 4 plates, don't leave any croutons behind! Sprinkle a little parmesan on top of each plate for garnish. If you decided to go with the anchovy fillets, use two whole fillets to garnish the plates. NOTE: Toss the salads just before service. If the dressing sits too long on the lettuce it will wilt..