I am a stickler for sticking to recipes, so naturally, I made this on a Sunday. Just like Vincent Price’s Friday Chicken, it would have seemed wrong to make it on a day other than the one specified.
This was on the test-cook list for the forthcoming Cooking the Detectives book, as George was in a one-season series called Sarge. He plays a priest who used to be a cop, and on paper, it sounds really good. It’s tricky to get hold of, though, so it’s in the “maybe” section for now. I’ve found a DVD version for $30 in the USA, but I haven’t enquired about postage yet. Does anyone remember it?
I am a big fan of Caesar Salad, and there are lots on the movie star recipe spreadsheet. So far, I’ve tried versions from the kitchens of Shelley Winters
beloved Ruth Roman
but my favourite, so far, is Jessica Walter’s version.
Every movie star has a different take on how to “do” a Caesar. Some involve coddling eggs, some involve infusing oil with garlic, and George’s has introduced another new innovation to my Caesar-making repertoire. It’s kinda genius. He mixes anchovy paste with garlic and spreads that onto the croutons. My friends, if you like the taste of anchovy, you are gonna love this!
I realise that not everyone will have a tube of anchovy paste in their pantry (I think you could make your own by mashing up a few anchovy fillets), but to my mind, it is worth having a tube of this knocking around in your fridge as it lasts FOREVER.
Plus, you can use this in one of my top 100 movie star recipe favourites, Vincent Price Buckingham Eggs.
The magic elixir in the eggcup below is the anchovy paste & butter & mustard mix Vincent uses to jazz up his scrambled eggs on toast.
When I made some Buckingham Eggs back in 2021, I used this leftover mix the next morning to make something I christened Soft Boiled Eggs with Buckingham Dippers…
Phor!
So now I am thinking, the next time I have a writing weekend, I am going to make Buckingham Eggs for my Saturday breakfast, making sure that there is enough of the anchovy mixture for a Sunday Caesar Salad. It will be a little Vincent Price/George Kennedy mash-up!
NOTES ON GEORGE’S RECIPE
Leaving the romaine leaves whole was a bit tricky as my head of lettuce was HUGE. I tore each leaf in half, but I do like George’s suggestion that we eat this with our fingers, “leaf by delicious leaf”. George doesn’t specify how much Parmesan to use, so that is really up to your personal preference. I halved George’s recipe to get two portions, and I used a heaped tablespoon of grated Parmesan which seemed about right for me. I like the simplicity of just using an egg yolk in the dressing rather than faffing around with coddling an egg. The dressing was quite runny but very tasty.
Bravo, George, your recipe is a winner!
Every time I read a Caesar Salad recipe I have an overwhelming desire for one straightaway ! This sounds good if not 100% kosher and I like the idea of full leaves slathered with the unctious ooze of the dressing, but as we’ve discussed before, no harm tweaking the classics to personal taste. The only thing I’m wary of is overly crunchy crutons . I have to be aware of such things these days having already broken two teeth in the past on pizza crust and too toasted focaccia !
Oh goodness, only SOFT croutons for you then Mark!
I’m the same as you about Caesar Salad. I just read through this again and I’m already planning to make it again for a writing weekend I have coming up. I think I’m going to do a Jessica Walter/George Kennedy mash-up, taking the best elements from each. Unless there is a celebrity Caesar on my list I haven’t tried yet! Hold on… Here’s who I have. I am sure I’ve done the Vincent Price version but will check. BOB HOPE! Shelley Winters I’ve done. Tom Atkins (my first thought is “who hell he?” but I see he was in The Rockford Files). David Janssen – well I’ll need something for him for “Cooking the Detectives” so he’s definitely a contender. Diahann Carroll – ooh! Lynda Carter – made her version I think. Johnny Carson’s Caesar Salad a la Shelley Winters (!) DIANA DORS – I think I’ve made her version but will check. Ruth Roman and Grace Kelly – DONE. Finally Jessica Walter – who is of course current fave. OOOOOh so many stars, so many Caesars!