Entertaining

A new party favourite: Caesar salad skewers

Caesar Salad Skewer Liam Mogan

Caesar salad is an oft-requested classic for good reason: crisp romaine, with thick, creamy dressing, and topped with Parmesan, bacon, and croutons. We update it for cocktail hour by putting it on a skewer. Makes 8-10 skewers.

Dressing:

1 egg yolk
2 anchovy fillets, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place egg yolk, anchovy, garlic, mustard, lemon zest, and juice in a bowl. Stir to combine. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while stirring constantly. Continue to stir until mixture is combined.

Skewers:

5 slices of thick-slab bacon
2 slices of sourdough bread torn into 11/2-inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 romaine heart
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment. Arrange bacon flat on one baking tray. On the other, toss bread pieces with olive oil. Season with salt. (Alternatively, line two roasting pans with aluminium foil, one for the bacon slices, and one for bread pieces and grill at medium-low heat.)
2. Bake or barbecue the bacon until the edges are crisp and cooked through, 15 minutes or so, flipping slices halfway through cook time. Once slightly cooled, cut the bacon slices into 2-inch pieces.
3. Bake or barbecue the bread pieces until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
4. Cut romaine heart in half lengthwise. Carefully slice halves into 2-inch pieces, leaving the leaves layered on its core.
5. For each skewer, pierce romaine onto a skewer (there should be 3-4 layers of lettuce), followed by 2-3 slices of bacon, and finished with a crouton.
6. Brush dressing on all sides of the skewers, then sprinkle generously with Parmesan. Season with black pepper and serve immediately.

 

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