Wednesday,
July 18, 2007
Hailing the New Caesar
The
ANNOTICO Report
Restaurateur
Caesar (Cesare) Cardini was
born near Lake Maggiore in
The
"traditional" Caesar salad was whole
romaine leaves, croutons, Parmesan, egg, anchovies, olive oil, lemon juice.
Aficionados
have always debated whether to include the anchovies, since it was
Caesar's brother Alex, that reportedly first
inserted the anchovies (instead of Worcestershire sauce, when he ran out).
Purists
also argue whether to serve the leaves whole or chopped. Since according
to legend, it was Wallis Simpson - mistress and later wife of Prince
Edward VIII - who popularized cutting the lettuce into manageable,
bite-sized pieces. They also argued whether to coddle the egg or not.
But
now comes the New Caesar!!!!!
Chefs
in
Several
are substituting warm polenta
croutons to give it more an Italian touch.
Another
chef is avoiding the Anchovies and giving it a full on Tarragon treatment. While Tarragon is used
often in Italian cooking, it is more associated with French cooking. Why not Basil,
Fennel, or Oregano ???
Butter
lettuce, frissee and tarragon aren't what you'd
expect in a Caesar,
but they're exactly what
By
Noelle Carter, Times Staff Writer
July 18, 2007
CAESAR salad - romaine, croutons, Parmesan, egg,
anchovies, olive oil, lemon juice. Aficionados have always debated whether to
include the anchovies, whether to serve the leaves whole or chopped
and whether to coddle the egg - but what about the frissee,
or the tarragon, or the polenta croutons?
Lately and in
At Pizzeria Mozza, the insalata tricolore from executive chef Matt Molina starts with
the vivid red-green display of that frissee,
radicchio and arugula topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. But Caesar's influence is apparent in
a light but assertive combination of lemon juice, olive oil and garlic
emboldened with plenty of anchovies.< BR>
Vincenti Ristorante in
Which brings us back to tarragon.
Differently dressed
AT Opus, they've kept the classic romaine but totally reinvented the
dressing.
"I'm a big fan of tarragon," says Opus executive chef Josef Centeno. The distinctive aromatic adds another depth of
flavor to the salad. Centeno's tarragon aioli-based
dressing lightly coats tender whole leaves of romaine. He's a traditionalist on
the point of whole or chopped lettuce leaves;
But Centeno's a rebel on the dressing and
accouterments front. His dressing starts as a thick tarragon aioli, which he
says is also great on sandwiches. Throw in a little garlic, olive oil, sherry
vinegar and Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano
cheeses and blend in an assortment of garden-fresh herbs, including dill,
chives, chervil, parsley and tarragon. To finish the dish Opus style, spoon
some creamy, seasoned burrata on warm, toasted baguette slices and serve them
alongside.
It's not as if the Caesar has had a quiet history as a salad. It almost seems
as if the one constant is change. The
story goes that Cardini threw the salad together from
what was left in his kitchen after a bustling Fourth of July weekend. His
brother Alex reportedly first inserted the anchovies (
instead of Worcestershire sauce).
Guess he hadn't thought of tarragon.
noelle.carter@latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/features/food
/la-fo-caesar18jul18,1,5052144.story?
coll=la-headlines-food&ctrack=1&cset=true
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