Caesar Little Gem Recipe
Little Gem Lettuce leaves hold all the classic flavors of a traditional Caesar salad with a kick of heat to bring it over the top.
Ingredients
- about 3 dozen Little Gem Lettuce leaves (about 4 heads, washed and dried)
- about 1/2 large egg yolk (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 3/4 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less if you don’t want too much heat)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, toasted (see notes)
- red pepper flakes
- thinly sliced lemon for garnish
Instructions
- Spread the leaves out on a serving platter or small plates. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 egg yolk (don’t worry about being exact!), with the lemon juice, anchovy paste, honey, mustard, garlic and cayenne. Whisk until smooth.
- Then whisking constantly, very slowly, in a steady stream, add the oil. Whisk until smooth and then add the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here’s How to Season to Taste.) Set aside.
- Add the bread crumbs to a small sauté pan and place it over medium-low heat. Shaking the pan every minute or so, cook just until they’re golden, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
- Drizzle the leaves with the amount of dressing you like — I use a bit more than 1 tablespoon per dozen. Now sprinkle them with the bread crumbs evenly over the leaves. Finish with a sprinkling of the red pepper flakes — I only use a small amount as it will add a lot of heat.
- Garnish the platter with lemon slices and serve!
Notes
When using raw eggs, make sure they're pasteurized -- I used Safest Choice® Pasteurized Eggs.
I used gluten-free breadcrumbs for my son with Celiac -- you can use any breadcrumbs you like.
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