Caesar Pleasers
Introducing one of my go-to and all-time favorite appetizers – the Caesar Pleasers. And trust me, they truly live up to their name. There’s something so satisfying about that first crunch feeling, so I did what any good chef would do and tried to encapsulate that feeling by creating the ultimate crispy parmesan caesar salad cup. Surprisingly easy to make and always delicious, let’s take a look at how these perfect bites came to be.
This past summer I had the pleasure of working as a private chef on a charter yacht in the Bahamas where I dreamt up this recipe. I wanted something as classic and refreshing as caesar salad, but still held that crunch and was something a little bit more innovative.
One day in the sun, it dawned on me that I could try to use the parmesan and mold them into cups serving as the base and prep the salad directly in the cups so you get the entire flavorful, best part of a caesar salad all in one delectable bite. When I went to make them, I was honestly surprised at how simple they turned out to create. I would say the most technical part of the process is shaping the parmesan into molds, but don’t let that intimidate you. All you really need is a baking sheet, muffin tin, and once you’ve nailed it down you’ll be whipping these up on the regular.
Now one of my most requested dishes, this is how you create my favorite Caesar Pleasers.
Ingredients for the Parmesan Cups:
Shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup per cup)
How to Make Parmesan Cups:
Prepare Your Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grab a 1/4 cup measuring cup, and scoop out shredded Parmesan. Spread each portion into a small circle, about 3-4 inches in diameter. If your baking sheet is big enough, you can usually fit 4-6 circles. Just make sure they don’t touch, or you’ll have a cheesy, melty disaster.
Bake the Parmesan: Pop the tray into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on your cheese. You’re looking for melted, golden perfection—cheese that’s crispy, but still pliable enough to mold. If you pull it out too soon, it won’t hold its shape & will be chewy; too late, and it’ll shatter.
Mold the Cheese Cups: Working quickly, use a spatula to lift each Parmesan circle and drape it over the back of a muffin tin, which should be placed upside down. Gently press the cheese around each muffin holder to shape it into a cup. Let them cool for about 5 minutes. Voilà! You have your crispy, delicious salad cups.
Ingredients for the Caesar Dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup avocado oil
3 anchovies
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Directions for the Dressing:
In a blender, combine the lemon juice, egg yolk, anchovies, minced garlic, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the avocado oil until the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. (Pro tip: If you’re worried about raw egg yolk, use pasteurized eggs or look away and live dangerously).
Assembling the Caesar Salad Cups:
Finely shred romaine lettuce (or your green of choice) and toss it in your freshly blended Caesar dressing. You want each piece to be lightly coated but not drowning in dressing.
Fill the parmesan cups! Using a spoon or your hand with a glove, add a generous handful of dressed lettuce into each Parmesan cup.
Top each cup with a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of lemon zest, a grind of cracked pepper, and either croutons or a handful of crispy breadcrumbs. These little additions make all the difference.
Enjoy!
Caesar Pleasers
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread 1/4 cup of parmesan into a small circle (about 3-4" in diameter) for each portion.
- Bake 7-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on your cheese. Cheese should be crispy, but still pliable enough to mold.
- Use the spatula to lift each Parmesan circle and drape it over the back of a muffin tin, which should be placed upside down. Gently press the cheese around each muffin holder and shape it into a cup.
- Let them cool for about 5 minutes.
- In a blender, combine the lemon juice, egg yolk, anchovies, minced garlic, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
- With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the avocado oil until the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. (Pro tip: If you’re worried about raw egg yolk, use pasteurized eggs or look away and live dangerously).
- Finely shred romaine lettuce (or your green of choice) and toss it in your freshly blended Caesar dressing. You want each piece to be lightly coated but not drowning in dressing.
- Fill the parmesan cups! Using a spoon or your hand with a glove, add a generous handful of dressed lettuce into each Parmesan cup.
- Top each cup with a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of lemon zest, a grind of cracked pepper, and either croutons or a handful of crispy breadcrumbs. These little additions make all the difference.
- Enjoy!
