Caesar Salad with Fresh Maine Blueberries

When I first made this salad for friends- they came back with their bread to scoop out any leftover dribbles of dressing from the empty bowl. Please your family and your friends with this simple yet flavor dazzling recipe. My children even love it!
Caesar Salad with Fresh Maine Blueberries
For the Dressing:
2 lemons
1 anchovy or 1⁄4-1⁄2 t anchovy paste
2 T minced garlic
1 T Raye’s stone-ground mustard
1 T cider vinegar
3 dashes Tabasco
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
6-8 oz. extra virgin olive oil
1⁄2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄4 t salt
1⁄2 t fresh cracked black pepper
In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, juice the lemons. Add the anchovy, garlic, mustard, vinegar, Tabasco and Worcestershire. Whisk together for one minute. Be sure all of the ingredients are well blended.
SLOWLY drizzle the oil into the bowl as you whisk. Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated.
Whisk in the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
For the Croutons:
Either purchase ready made croutons at your local market or…
1 loaf of bread- you can use pumpernickel, crusty baguette or what you have on hand
1⁄3 c butter
1t garlic powder
1⁄4 t fresh cracked black pepper
dash salt
Cut the loaf of bread into 3⁄4” cubes. Place in a large bowl.
Melt the butter and stir in the garlic, pepper and salt
Pour the butter mixture over the bread cubes and toss to coat all pieces.
Arrange a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet
Place the bread cubes on the rack. Toast in a preheated 350’ oven for 6-9 minutes
Remove from oven and cool. Croutons can be stored in a plastic bag or airtight container in the freezer for several months.
For the Salad:
3 heads of Romaine lettuce
1⁄4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 hard cooked eggs- peeled and chopped (you can use three raw egg yolks if you like)
1 c fresh Maine Blueberries
Wash the lettuce and tear into bite-sized pieces. Remember, not pieces that you have to fold twice before they will fit into your mouth. Think of the circle the size of a golf ball- they should fit through that Place the clean, dry, torn lettuce in a beautiful bowl.
Just before you serve, whisk or shake the dressing well. Drizzle the dressing onto the greens. Add the Parmesan cheese, chopped (or raw) eggs, Blueberries and croutons. Toss well to coat all of the little lettuce leaves with dressing.
This salad looks beautiful with the addition of a head of chopped radicchio tossed in with the final ingredients. Add Grilled marinated chicken, shrimp or steak.

Lemon- Yogurt Ceasar Dressing

Happy to be home! We spent the last week on the left coast visiting with my brother Todd and his amazing fiance Rebecca. We Love Rebecca! While we were gone there was some interesting weather here in Maine. The National Guard closed Main Street because high winds were blowing bricks off of the buildings downtown. Our county and the entire state of Maine both were in a state of emergency. The airlines were all discombobulated- so we had to delay returning for two days. That gave us time to enjoy even more food!
We had some wonderful meals out in sunny California. Tommy's was fantastic; Home magnificent; DeLessio divine; and San Tung consistently delicious. I'll be sharing information about each place over the next few days. Tonight we are recovering from jet lag and lack of sleep. Dinner was simple and healthy. No more indulgence for a little while (though I admit- I'm having a couple of spoons of chilled chocolate ganache while I write.)
I was in the mood for salad this afternoon- We brought the sun back with us from out west- it was a beautiful spring 70. I couldn't help that sooo-ready-to-get-my-hands-in-the-dirt feeling I always get when the weather turns warm. Rising Tide had some of the first local organic mesclun I've seen this year. Here is a recipe for dressing that is delicious and Caesar-y without all the fat of regular dressing.
Lemon-Yogurt Caesar Dressing
In a small nonreactive bowl place the following ingredients:
the juice and zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or your favorite pepper sauce)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 clove of garlic- pressed or finely minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly grated aged provolone or Parmesan cheese
using a microplane- grate 1/2 a granny smith apple- this must be so fine it's almost mushy
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
notice the distinct lack of any oil here...
Whisk all together until completely blended. Place clean washed greens on top of the dressing in the bowl. Use a rubber spatula or two to toss the greens to coat with the dressing. Scrape all of the bits up from the bottom of the bowl. Serve piled high on a chilled plate.
Top with Maine Shrimp (that have been marinated in lemon and garlic) and sauteed in a bit of olive oil until just cooked through.
-Savor. Linger. Enjoy!
-Cynthia