Caesar gets a smoky twist on BBQ
Grilled salad recipe dispenses with complicated mayonnaise dressing
Grilled lettuce? Doesn’t sound like a good idea, but America’s Test Kitchen has found the way to do it — adding tantalizing smoky, charred notes to a caesar salad.
“Using just the firm, compact romaine hearts without the delicate outer leaves was a step in the right direction,” says the Test Kitchen’s latest book, Master of the Grill. “Grilling them over a hot fire let them pick up char faster to avoid the danger of wilting.”
The recipe also dispenses with any complicated dressing involving raw eggs and goes with an easy garlicky mayonnaise mixture that is brushed onto the lettuce halves before grilling, aiding in browning and depth of flavour. I used Vegenaise (find it in the cooler section of your supermarket) in place of regular supermarket mayonnaise: it’s one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s favourite ingredients, beat out Hellman’s on the Canadian TV show Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag, and I find it has brighter, cleaner flavour (it will also keep vegans in the crowd happy).
This recipe suggests serving the salad in a dramatic whole-lettuce, whole baguette-slice style. I also tried it more conventionally, chopping up the charred lettuce halves into chunks before drizzling with more dressing (I didn’t need it all) and tossing with a squirt of fresh lemon juice, freshly ground pepper, pan-fried croutons, crumbled crisp bacon (sorry vegans) and fresh grated Parmesan. It was one of the tastiest caesar salads I’ve had, great with steak and a rich red wine.