The Best Caesar Salad Ever!

Blimey mates, this is the best caesar salad ever...

I served our salads with salmon, but you don't have to, this salad is a meal on it's own.

Recipe for four:

1-3 pack of organic romaine lettuce, trimmed
2 t garlic, finely chopped
4 fillets anchovy, minced and smeared
1 egg yolk
1 t lea perrins worchestershire sauce
1 t tabasco sauce
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 three finger pinch of sea salt
1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
1 T french mustard
extra virgin olive oil
parmesan cheese
sourdough croutons

ALRIGHT LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH!  It's not a caesar salad without the anchovy or the egg!  And it won't taste anything like a caesar, so put them in!!!!

First cut up however many croutons you want, and toss them with some olive oil to coat.  Place them on bakers sheet or cookie sheet.  Season them with salt and pepper, and put them in a 400* oven, tossing them and checking them often.

Place all the salad ingredients except the lettuce and olive oil, into a bowl and mix with a whisk to combine.

When you are ready to make the dressing, and you don't have anyone helping you to pour the oil, then make a nest for the bowl with some towels.  In one hand hold the whisk, and in the other hold the extra virgin olive oil.  Now your ready to give your forearms a workout!  SLOWLY drizzle in the olive oil and whisk at the same time.  You want to go slow so you don't break the dressing, (which means it separates, and will look and taste like crap).  You can fix a separated dressing but it takes work, so don't break the dressing.

Keep adding oil until the dressing starts to shine, and taste it, what you are looking for is the perfect balance between acid from the lemon and sweetness from the mustard and other ingredients, you will know when the taste is perfect!  IT WILL SHINE!

When you're done add the lettuce and toss.

Plate onto cold plates with croutons and grated parmesan cheese.

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

Bullistic Dungeness Crab Salad With a Blood Orange Vinaigrette

I used live dungeness crab, which I cooked for this dish, and it turned out absolutely fantastic!

Please note:  If you live in Friday Harbor, the fish barge -- Friday Harbor Seafood Company -- down on the main dock is open until the end of this month, then they close for the winter.  This is the only place you can get live or fresh crab...

Recipe for two:

2 small live dungeness crabs or one pound of crab meat

2 big handfuls of baby spinach

1 big handful of arugula

Juice of one blood orange

2 blood oranges peeled and segmented

1 pinch both salt and pepper

3 T olive oil (extra virgin)

1/4 c finely sliced red onion

A splash of red wine vinegar

Fill a large pot with salted water, and bring to a boil.  When the water is really boiling hard, add the crab upside down (poor little buggers).  When the water starts to boil again, set the timer for 20 minutes.  Fill a sink or bucket with iced water and add the crab when they're done, and allow to cool.  This process will help release the meat from the shell.  When cool enough, clean the crab under running water, then crack and pick out the meat, and place in the refrigerator to cool.

In a large stainless steel bowl add all the ingredients except the greens, crab and the orange segments, and mix.  Now add the crab, greens and orange, and gently toss with your HANDS!  Don't use tongs or spoons, they just bruise the salad greens.  Plate onto chilled plates...

Bon Appetit!  Chef Hobbes

The Cask and Schooner...

Being a Chef, I absolutely love it when a Chef has Balls!  I went to the Cask and Schooner the other night, and my friend Kurt ordered a classic Caesar salad.  When the salad arrived at our table, it had a beautiful Spanish white anchovy on top!

I could not believe seeing such true European style right here in Friday Harbor!  Bravo, good job mate!

Caesar Salad

A Classic French Caesar Salad For Four

1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
3 fillets anchovy finely minced
1 pinch each of sea salt and pepper
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 heads romaine/cos lettuce, whole leaf or chopped
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil + or -

In a large bowl add all the ingredients, except the lettuce and olive oil
With the back of a tablespoon smear the anchovy until it appears smooth and not lumpy, and then whisk by hand for a bit to combine, then slowly add the olive oil in a fine drizzle while whisking fast, have someone hold the bowl or do the drizzle bit if needed, what you're looking for is the texture of the dressing to have shine to it but not be to wet, remember drizzle very slowly stopping the flow necessary or the dressing will break!  It's really hard to fix it, so don't let it break!!
Add the lettuce mixing with your clean hands, do not use tongs or other items, just plan on getting dirty....  Plate the salad, add hot croutons and parmesan cheese.  You also add grilled meat, fish or shrimp at this if you want..

Croutons
With oven hot set at 350* cut croutons to your desired size and shape, brush with olive oil, salt and pepper, place in the oven shaking occasionally, check for doneness often, you won't be the first to forget them, so set the timer for 5-10 min intervals.