Caesar Dresssing

My 4 year old has been raving about Caesar Dressing and how much he loves it because he's had it at daycare.  This is the child that thinks everything is spicy.  I had to know...what kind was he having?  Well, I found out his lovely daycare provider has been making a scratch dressing and he loves it.  So, I get the recipe from her, whip it up and he has nothing to do with it.  I thought it was great but he ran when I tried to give him more.  Apparently, this is something he'll only eat at daycare that she has made, which is fine with me.  The mere fact he's eating it, impresses me.

Onward and upward, I am still determined to make one he'll eat at my house.  After some tweaking and altering, this is what I've come up with and it's awesome.  I made it 3 times in one week with rave reviews. It's thick and creamy, garlicky and the small child will eat it.

I use a blender to make this because I can add the olive oil in a slow stream to ensure it's thick consistency.  If you'd like to try going old school and whisking by hand in the salad bowl, go for it.  I myself have not yet test driven that method.  When I do, I'll let you know how that works out for me.  If you're taking the time to make a scratch dressing, take the time to make  homemade croutons (I will be blogging about them soon) and some good bacon or Pancetta.  Great ingredients make all the difference

P.S. Use the freshest eggs you can find.  Read below on how to coddle an egg if you're sketchy on using a raw yolk for the dressing.

Caesar Dressing

Makes about 3/4 cups

2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg yolk*
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp anchovy paste or 1 anchovy, chopped
1 tsp Dijon
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
Freshly ground Pepper

In a blender whiz together the egg yolk and garlic.  Add the lemon juice, anchovy paste Worcestershire and Dijon.  Open the lid or remove it from the blender and in a slow stream, drizzle the olive oil in with the machine running until it's a thick consistency.  Blend in the Parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper.  Check to see if it needs salt.  Keep refrigerated for up to 2 days.

*Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Once it's boiled, remove from the heat and gently place the egg in the water for 30-45 seconds.  Immediately remove from the pot and run cold water over it to cool down the shell and make it easier to handle.  From there, you can separate the yolk from the white.