Caesar salad is often made with cream, but the original recipe rests on an emulsion, whisked like a mayonnaise from egg yolk, anchovy, parmesan and mustard. The mustard is what gives the dressing its body and its bite. With Pommery® Dijon mustard — finely sieved and clean on the palate — the emulsion takes quickly and holds until serving.
Serves: 2 • Prep: 20 minutes • Cooking: 10 minutes • Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
1 teaspoon Pommery® Dijon mustard
2 romaine lettuce hearts
1 very fresh egg yolk
3 anchovy fillets in oil
40 g freshly grated parmesan, plus shavings to finish
100 ml sunflower oil or mild olive oil
1 garlic clove
Juice of half a lemon
2 slices of stale country bread
2 tablespoons olive oil for the croutons
Freshly ground pepper
Method
The croutons. Cut the bread into 2 cm cubes and fry them in olive oil with the crushed garlic clove for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring. Drain on kitchen paper.
The base. Mash the anchovies to a paste with a fork. Add the egg yolk and the Pommery® Dijon mustard, then whisk briskly: the mustard emulsifies the sauce and lets the oil bind.
Building the emulsion. Pour the oil in a very thin stream, whisking constantly. The dressing thickens gradually to the consistency of a loose mayonnaise. A teaspoon of cold water loosens it if needed.
Seasoning. Stir in the grated parmesan and the lemon juice, then pepper generously. The anchovies and parmesan already bring the salt it needs.
The romaine. Separate the leaves, wash and dry them thoroughly so they hold the dressing well. Leave them whole or halve them lengthways.
To serve. Toss the leaves with the dressing in a large bowl, coating them gently. Add the croutons at the last moment, then finish with parmesan shavings and a turn of the pepper mill.
💡 Perfect pairing: For a complete meal, add grilled chicken strips marinated for an hour in a spoonful of Pommery® fine herbs mustard and a drizzle of olive oil.
Our tips for a perfect Caesar dressing
Everything at room temperature. Take the egg yolk out twenty minutes ahead and the emulsion comes together far more easily.
Oil in a thin stream. Take your time over the first two spoonfuls; the rest follows on its own.
A smooth mustard. What you want here is emulsifying power and a clean taste: Pommery® Dijon mustard is well suited to it.
Bringing a dressing back. Start again with a fresh egg yolk and a little mustard in a clean bowl, then whisk the first dressing back in, drop by drop.
Our Caesar salad with Pommery® Dijon mustard
This homemade Caesar salad recipe goes back to essentials: a Caesar dressing whisked by hand, where mustard plays its role as a binder. The result is lighter and sharper than any ready-made version. Made at the gates of Meaux by the Chamois family, Pommery® Dijon mustard gives this authentic Caesar dressing the clean, precise character of a mustard sieved in the traditional way. Explore our full range of Pommery® mustards.
