Summer Staples : Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad with Homemade Creamy Caesar Dressing, Bacon Lardons, Grilled Croutons, Shaved Shallots, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, & Fresh Parmesan

Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad with Homemade Creamy Caesar Dressing, Bacon Lardons,
Grilled Croutons, Shaved Shallots, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, & Fresh Parmesan

A salad is the perfect compliment to any summer meal. Especially when it's grilled. Trust me, I was skeptical too when I heard about grilled romaine lettuce. Would it become extremely soggy? Would it just burst into flames? Would I hate it? Well, none of those things happened, especially now that we consider ourselves grill masters. The grilled caesar salad was awesome and will be a go-to for any cookout meal! The romaine, if cooked right, becomes charred around the edges, but still crisp + fresh on the inside. To really take your Caesar salad over the top, you gotta make your own. Our version is top notch and packs a big punch. But it's creaminess really takes over and pairs perfectly with smoky bacon, sweet tomatoes, shaved shallots, and grilled croutons. I pretty much live by the motto of grill everything + anything now. We absolutely loved the crouton shards... just get some slices of good, crusty bread, brush them with some olive oil, and charr them on the grill until really toasted. All you have to go is cut them into cubes of long strips. We preferred the strips because you can dip them into the dressing and top them with all the goodies and almost make a caesar salad bruschetta. Best. Idea. Ever. I lurve all the flavors and how perfectly they compliment each other. So go on y'all... grill everything that you can get your hands on!! Enjoy :)

Grilled bread about to be turned into Grilled Croutons... 

Romaine Lettuce, Hot Off the Grill

For the Creamy Caesar Dressing:

3 Large Cloves of Garlic, Finely Minced

1T Anchovy Paste

2T Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice + 1t Lemon Zest

2t Dijon Mustard

1t Worcestershire Sauce

1C Homemade Aioli or Mayo

2/3C Freshly Grated Parmesan

Salt & Pepper, To Taste (as well as some sugar for balance)

For the Grilled Romaine:

3-4 Romaine Hearts, Split Lengthwise

3T Olive Oil

1T Red Wine Vinegar

1T Fresh Chopped Herbs (I used basil, parsley, thyme, & rosemary)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Grilled Caesar Salad:

Prepared Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing, Refrigerated

Grilled Romaine Heart Halves

Crispy Bacon Lardons

Slow Roasted Tomatoes or Sun Dried Tomatoes, Roughly Chopped

1 Large Shallot, Thinly Shaved

Slices of Thick Country Bread, Drizzled with Oil & Grilled until Crispy

Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. For the Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the first five ingredients. Next, add in the mayo and grated Parmesan. Season the dressing with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. For the Grilled Romaine: Prep the romaine hearts—pull off any old leaves. Chop off the top 1 or 2 inches of the lettuce head, and shave off the browned part of the root end, leaving the root end intact so that the lettuce head stays together. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Paint the lettuce hearts all over with the vinaigrette. Prepare the vinaigrette. Put the oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk with a fork to combine. Grill the romaine hearts until lightly browned on all sides, turning every minute or two until done.

3. For the Grilled Caesar Salad: Place the hearts onto a serving platter. Drizzle the top of the romaine with some of the chilled Caesar dressing. Scatter across the crispy bacon lardons, tomatoes of your choice, shaved shallots, Parmesan cheese, & cubes of grilled country bread. Season with a little salt and pepper.

4. Serve immediately!

Fried Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad with Radicchio, Baby Arugula, and Crispy Capers Tossed in Homemade Caesar Vinaigrette in a Parmesan Frico Bowl

Fried Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad 

I promise that I am almost out of recipes from our anniversary celebration. And I can finally get to posting some tailgatin' recipes and autumn-inspired dishes. Soup will definitely be on the menu... and some hearty comfort food as well. Until then, here's my unique take on a Caesar Salad. I don't especially love Caesar Salads, but every now & then, I kinda get the craving for them. So why not change up that plain ole' salad and give it a fancy restaurant kick? Well besides brown butter... I'd say that fried brussel sprouts have to be one of my favorite dishes ever. I mean it, they're the best. So nutty, crispy, and delicious. I urge you to give them a try, even if it's just for a small snack. Add in some peppery arugula and bitter radicchio... it's a winning combination. For serving, I made large Parmesan Frico's that I inverted over a bowl, so they could be personal serving platter on the plate. One word... amazing. Have y'all ever had Parmesan Frico's? They are like the crispy cheese bits on a pizza crust. And why not add some fried capers, crispy pancetta, toasted walnuts, and homemade dressing? Ain't nothin' better. I know this is quite the complicated salad, but when you're celebrating, that's what you should do. And hey, you can always turn this into an entree and top with some protein!! Enjoy :)

Such pretty colors...

For the Caesar Vinaigrette:

½C Olive Oil

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced into a Paste

¼C Fresh Lemon Juice

1t Worcestershire

4oz Freshly Grated Parmesan

1t Anchovy Paste

2 Eggs

Salt & Fresh Cracked, To Taste

For the Parmesan Frico Bowl:

½C Freshly Grated Parmesan (for each Frico bowl)

For the Fried Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad:

2lb Brussel Sprouts, Trimmed & Halved

2C Baby Arugula

1 Small Radicchio, Thinly Sliced or Shaved

Parmesan, Freshly Shaved (to your liking)

Crispy Pancetta or Bacon Lardons (to your liking)

Crispy Fried Capers (to your liking)

Toasted Walnuts or Pine Nuts (to your liking)

Prepared Caesar Vinaigrette

Prepared Parmesan Fico Bowls

Directions:

1. For the Caesar Vinaigrette: In a very large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and garlic. Let it sit and infuse the oil for 30 minutes. Add the anchovies and eggs to the garlic oil. Whisk it until it is creamy. Add in the salt and pepper, along with ¼C lemon juice. Whisk in half of the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. For the Parmesan Frico Bowl: In a small non-stick sauté pan cover the bottom with a layer of Parmesan. Wait a couple minutes for the cheese to melt and turn golden brown. Carefully remove the cheese from the pan and place over a small inverted bowl or cup so that it takes on the shape of the bowl. Cool for 30 seconds then remove.

3. For the Fried Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad: Pour enough oil into a medium pot so that the oil comes 3 inches up the sides. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Working in batches, deep-fry the Brussels sprouts until the edges begin to curl and brown, about 3 minutes. To the last batch, add the capers (stand back-the capers will pop and sputter!). Give the contents of the pot a stir. When the color of the capers becomes a deeper, more saturated shade of green, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, remove the contents of the pot with a skimmer and place directly in the bowl of dressing.

4. Add in the baby arugula, shaved radicchio, and all of the other desired toppings that you like. Toss with the dressing to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Place a Parmesan Frico on a plate and spoon the tossed salad into the bowl. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately while the brussel sprouts are still crispy.

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwiches with Maple Dijon Potato Salad

We got really lucky today in that I didn't have class and Clayton didn't have work, so we decided to do a little lunch date. I obviously made Clayton a sandwich because that's his favorite meal. So I finally decided to make a Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich, which is stacked with homemade creamy caesar dressing, roasted, chicken, baby arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, crispy pancetta, and shaved parmesan (ummm, yum right?). I wasn't really feelin' the whole sandwich idea today, so I just made his sandwich into a salad and topped with pesto croutons. It was delish as well. I served Clayton's sandwich with a side of Maple Dijon Potato Salad. It's different than the classic potato salad because it is not tossed with a heavy mayo dressing, but with a sweet and tangy mustard vinaigrette, as well as roasted onions and chopped chives & fresh parsley. And shockingly enough, this meal actually filled Clayton up, which I didn't think was possible. So he's having leftovers for dinner. Enjoy!

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich with Maple Dijon Potato Salad

Chicken Caesar Club Salad 

For the Roasted Chicken:

2 Skin-On, Bone-In Chicken Breasts

2T Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Caesar Dressing:

1T Garlic, Chopped

2T Fresh Parsley, Chopped

2t Anchovy Paste

1t Dijon Mustard

2T Lemon Juice

½C Mayo

¼C Sour Cream

¼C Parmesan Cheese, Grated

For the Sandwiches:

1 Large Ciabatta Roll

Olive Oil

Roasted Chicken, Sliced

½C Baby Arugula

6 Slices of Thick-Cut Pancetta, Cooked

10 Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Prepared Caesar Dressing

Shaved Parmesan

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the chicken breasts and then toss them in the olive oil and salt & pepper. Roast the chicken breasts in a pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Once they have cooled, remove the skin and thinly slice the chicken, and then set aside.

2. In a food processor, add the garlic and parsley, and then pulse until it’s minced. Add in the paste, mustard, lemon juice, mayo, and Parmesan cheese. Process until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.

3. Slice the Ciabatta roll and drizzle with olive oil, and then toast in a 400-degree oven for 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

4. Spread each side of the bread with the homemade Caesar dressing. Place the arugula on the bottom of the bread, then top with the sundried tomatoes, roasted chicken, crispy pancetta, and shaved Parmesan. Sprinkle the sandwiches with a little salt & pepper.

5. Cut the sandwich and serve with the Maple Dijon Potato Salad

For the First Maple Dijon Dressing:

1T Olive Oil

1T Cider Vinegar

2T Maple Syrup

1t Dijon Mustard

1T Grainy Mustard

1t Garlic, Minced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Second Maple Dijon Dressing:

1T Olive Oil

1T Cider Vinegar

2T Maple Syrup

1t Dijon Mustard

1T Grainy Mustard

For the Roasted Potato Salad:

1 ½lbs Small Red Potatoes, Cut into Quarters

1 Onion, Halved & Sliced to ¼inch Thick

Prepared Maple Dijon Dressing

3T Chives, Chopped

3T Fresh Parsley, Chopped

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the potatoes & onions into halves and quarters, depending on their size and place them on a sheet pan that has been sprayed with Pam.

2. In a medium-mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients in the first dressing. Whisk to combine. Pour this dressing over the prepared potatoes and onions, tossing them so that they are covered completely.

3. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes to an hour or until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside, but tender on the inside. Make sure to flip them halfway through, so that they will brown evenly on both sides.

4. Once the potatoes and onions are done cooking, place them in a mixing bowl along with the second dressing and finish it by tossing the salad with the chopped parsley, chives, salt, & pepper. 

5. Serve along side of the Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich (we like our potato salad kind of warm, but you could easily refrigerate yours until it's cold enough to serve).

source: maple dijon roasted brussel sprouts. chicken caesar club