The CuisiNerd

Photo: flickr/pointnshoot

Whipped up this easy and tasty caesar dressing the other day. It’s best if you let it sit and mellow for a day or two, but it’s perfectly good right away.

Whisk together:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Nam Pla (thai fish sauce)
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder (or 1 clove crushed fresh garlic)

If you want a milder garlic taste, use roasted garlic instead.

Pour over coarsely chopped Romaine lettuce, add black pepper, parmesan cheese and croutons. Repeat as necessary.

An adaptation and amalgamation of a number of recipes I found.

This recipe makes 3 loaves or rounds, and is sized for a 5.5-quart stand mixer – if your mixer motor is under 350W, you may want to scale this down a bit. The key is to have a liquid:flour ratio of about 3:5 (by weight)

1. Mix the following wet ingredients together in a bowl or other large measuring vessel:
• 1 lb warm water (2 cups)
• 4 oz. honey (1/2 cup)
• 1.5 Tablespoons dry yeast
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 3 eggs (beat into mixture)
• 4 oz. oil (canola or olive)
2. In the stand mixer bowl, put in:
• 2.6 pounds bread flour (approx. 8 cups)
• Liquid mixture
3. Mix on low speed with a dough hook until ingredients are combined, and then let knead for about 10 minutes.
4. Let the dough rise in the mixer bowl, covered with a cloth, for about 2 hours.
5. punch down the dough and knead by hand for about 3-4 minutes, adding flour as needed.
6. Divide the dough and knead each piece for another minute or so and form into rounds or loaves.
7. Let rise for another 45 minutes.
8. If you wish, brush on an egg wash (beat 1 egg with a tablespoon of water) for a golden brown crust.
9. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes.