Session 46 — The Composed Salad: Dressing Is a Technique
← Block 11–12: Vegetables & PlantForward Cooking Overview
Skill: A well-composed salad is not a bowl of things with dressing poured over it. It's a dish with its own architecture: texture contrast, temperature contrast, acid-fat balance, and deliberate seasoning.
📖 Read: Serious Eats — The Food Lab's Guide to Better Salads
Caesar dressing from scratch — the real lesson:
Classic Caesar Salad teaches emulsification, acid balance, the role of anchovies as umami backbone, and why freshly grated Parmesan behaves differently than pre-grated.
🎥 Compare Notes: Food Lab Basics: POV Caesar Salad — Kenji makes Caesar dressing from scratch and dresses the salad in real time
| Component | Technique |
|---|---|
| Dressing | Raw egg yolk + anchovy + garlic + lemon + Worcestershire; emulsify with oil |
| Croutons | Day-old bread, torn not cut; tossed in olive oil; bake until very crispy |
| Lettuce | Romaine; the spine of the leaf stays crispy even under dressing |
Full Meal: Caesar salad (full portion, not a side) + half a roast chicken or grilled fish on top + crusty bread
The dressing principle that applies everywhere: Season the greens before dressing. Add dressing in thirds, tossing between each. The greens should be lightly coated, not swimming.