Setting the Table at Autumn Rooms
It’s bold, it’s indulgent, and it’s all happening in arguably (don’t come for me, Newcastle) the best-styled café in town.
A Caesar that earns its place
The Caesar wasn’t born in Rome. It was created in 1924 by Italian chef Caesar Cardini in Tijuana — a last-minute throw-together of cos, egg, parmesan, and punchy dressing.
It travelled north to Los Angeles, then out into the world — picking up extras along the way.
Somewhere between LA and Australia, we added bacon. And chicken. And sometimes a boiled egg for good measure.
Very us.
In Australia, the Caesar quietly became a pub classic — sitting comfortably next to schnitzels and grilled seafood. It’s the salad you order when you want something lighter… but not that light.
Which is why we love it. It walks the line.
Today, I’m serving it with our Pollock salad bowl and putting our new Meal Maker salad servers to the test— the kind of quality wooden salad servers that feel like they’ll outlast trends.
Simple ingredients. The right tools. Perfectly tossed. Let's go...
Dressing
Note: If I have beautiful fresh eggs, I’ll make my own mayo. If not, I buy a high-quality, preservative-free mayonnaise with a good egg content. If you’d prefer to avoid raw eggs or are pregnant, simply use 125 ml of good-quality mayonnaise instead of the egg yolk and olive oil and proceed with all the other ingredients as usual.
1 egg yolk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3–4 anchovy fillets, finely minced (or 1 tsp anchovy paste)
1 small garlic clove, crushed into a paste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
30 g finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
Freshly cracked black pepper
Salt (taste first — anchovies and parmesan bring plenty)
Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and anchovies into a smooth paste. Whisk together the egg yolk, Dijon, anchovy-garlic paste, lemon juice, and Worcestershire, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Fold through the grated parmesan and black pepper, tasting and adjusting with more lemon or salt as needed.
Croutons
Sourdough, torn into pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
Dried oregano, basil or thyme (all herbs or just pick one )
Shaved parmesan
Toss everything together, season well, and bake at 180°C for 10–15 minutes until golden and crisp. Our ceramics are made from stoneware clay which is ovenproof, so I often bake the croutons straight on our ceramics. Which is practical for my routine, and the clean up is much easier than oven trays. Here I used our Maya dinner plate.
Salad
1 large cos (romaine) lettuce, washed and dried
1 cup sourdough croutons
Extra shaved parmesan100 g pancetta, diced or sliced into small strips
4 boiled eggsOptional: grilled chicken or grilled tuna
Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. No oil needed — pancetta releases its own fat.
Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–8 minutes until golden and crispy.
Once crispy, remove from the pan and drain briefly on paper towels to remove excess fat.
Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–8 minutes until golden and crispy.
Once crispy, remove from the pan and drain briefly on paper towels to remove excess fat.
Tear the cos into generous pieces. Toss gently with dressing — coat, don’t drown. Add sliced eggs, pancetta, croutons and toss once more. Finish with shaved parmesan and plenty of cracked pepper.
And that’s it — my crowd-favourite Caesar salad recipe.
Hot tip: if I’m serving kids, I like to make customised serves per person depending on what additions they want. And if you’re planning to serve it over two days, portion out the ingredients and mix in the dressing as you go, so the cos leaves stay fresh, crisp, and delicious every time.
- Tags: Recipe