Cesar Salad Dressing
When I first moved to Miami, I had this apartment in North Bay Village right on the intracoastal. At the time I still had my amazing little Pomeranian Brandy. A lot of my neighbors had dogs as well which is how I met Sandy and Fabrice. Sandy and Fabrice had a cute little black poodle. Sandy and Fabrice were both Pastry Chef's. Sandy was retired, but Fabrice was the Executive Pasty Chef at the Tides Hotel in South Beach. They were both amazing Chef's. They each had their own portfolio with all of their amazing works of art that they'd created over the years. They moved quite often and had lived all over the world working at top class resorts, restaurants and private clubs. Fabrice worked a lot!!! Like ALL THE TIME!!!!! However, on his days off, sometimes they would invite me over for dinner. I cannot even begin to describe the elaborate meals they would make for me. Fabrice was French and Sandy was Mexican! Need I say more??? I've said it before that Mexican food is in my top 3 favorite types of cuisine! Sandy taught me a lot and whenever I had friends or family in town she would always make one of her special Authentic Mexican meals for us! And Fabrice......... whenever he cooked for me........ Oh boy!!! I don't have the words to describe his talent! Yes, they were both Pasty Chef's, but they were Chef's...... and could cook absolutely anything! I cannot tell you how much I learned from them! I would ask Fabrice how to make certain things from scratch. We would sit down, create and write out recipes like it was nothing then go in the kitchen and make them. I still have all of those pieces of paper with our notes, scratches and final versions. This Cesar Salad Dressing recipe is one of those. I am so glad to finally make this official. It's the only Cesar Salad Dressing I ever make and serve in my home. In fact, I have never ever had store bought Cesar Dressing. You probably already have most of these ingredients in your pantry! I do use anchovies in my dressing always. I know how some people turn their nose up about anchovies, but believe me when I tell you they are not what you'd expect. Anchovies can add so much flavor to a dish. Especially sauces! Anchovies just melt and add a ton of flavor. If you didn't know that anchovies were included, you wouldn't know! I never really mention it to my guests. Anyway, let's get to this recipe. And I promise to share more creations from me and Fabrice soon! I have several! Get your blender ready for this one!
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 TBS dijon mustard
- 1 TBS red wine vinegar
- 1 TBS mayonnaise
- 3 dashes of your favorite hot sauce (I like Louisiana Hot Sauce)
- 2-3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 anchovy filets (optional)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 In a blender combine the garlic, mustard, vinegar, mayonnaise, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and anchovy filets (if using) and blend until well combined
- Step 2 Remove the center cap on the top of the blender and SLOWLY drizzle in the olive oil with the blender running
- Step 3 Once everything is well combined turn the blender off, remove the lid and add the parmesan cheese
- Step 4 Replace the cover and center cap and quickly blend for another 30 seconds or so
- Step 5 Turn the blender off and pour the mixture into a bowl
- Step 6 Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine
- Step 7 Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use
