By Benny Fong

No, it wasn’t invented in Rome by Julius Caesar. Actually, the evidence suggests that the first Caesar salads were made in Tijuana, Mexico, by Caesar Cardini, an immigrant chef from Italy. Cardini tossed his original Caesar salads with full length, uncut leaves of Romaine lettuce. Diners were meant to use the stiff-ribbed leaves to scoop up the other salad ingredients before eating them with their fingers. Don’t even think about substituting iceberg lettuce!

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 egg yolk

1 lemon, squeezed for juice only

150ml olive oil

150ml grape seed oil

3g mustard powder

25g grated Parmesan cheese

2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

1 minced grey shallot

2 crushed garlic cloves

4 capers, finely chopped

A few drops of Worcestershire sauce

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

1. Clean the lettuce thoroughly, pat it dry and place it inside the refrigerator for a few hours.
2. Combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and mustard powder together in a bowl.
3. Beat the mixture vigorously until it becomes yellowish white and thick in texture.
4. Continue beating while slowly adding the olive oil and grape seed oil. The mixture should be very rich and creamy.
5. Fold the Parmesan cheese, anchovies, shallot, garlic, Worcestershire and caper into the dressing.

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with the dressing until the leaves are well coated and ready to serve.

Bon appétit!