Caesar Salad Dressing

This undisputed salad classic embodies four pillars of flavor: salt, fat, umami and acid. Traditional recipes for the dressing call for egg yolks and a particular finesse that you’d find with a table-side restaurant preparation. This version, however, leans on quality, store-bought mayonnaise for a creamy base. Another key to Caesar is the richness of tinned anchovies. You could use anchovy paste for convenience’s sake, but if you mince the anchovies, you’ll be rewarded with a dressing that boasts a subtle texture. Other uses than the obvious salad: toss with pasta or use as a surprising dressing for crispy, pan-fried potatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 oil-packed anchovies, drained
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 0.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 0.5 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 0.25 cup lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons), plus more to taste
• 0.25 cup finely grated Parmesan
• Salt and black pepper

Steps

1. Finely mince the garlic cloves. Mince the anchovies: Stack them on top of each other and run your knife down lengthwise, then bunch them up and chop again. Repeat this process until the anchovies are a slightly chunky paste. 
2. Add the garlic and anchovies to a medium bowl, and follow with mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Parmesan and 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper. Whisk well, then taste and add salt or lemon juice as desired. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.