My friends and I go to KR SteakBar for all our special occasions. We love the food, atmosphere and waitstaff. The manager goes out of his way to check on us and make sure everything is OK — which it always is! One item we get over and over is the Caesar salad. It is the best we’ve had. Could you possibly get the recipe?
Anne Stanley, Atlanta
KR SteakBar’s general manager John McDaniels was quick to send over the recipe for a salad that has been a staple on the menu since the restaurant opened in 2013. “Caesar salads are always approachable and some would consider them boring. Ours, I think because of the quality of the ingredients in the dressing, is well balanced with that anchovy flavor just there without being overwhelming. The breadcrumbs are great because you get so much more of that crunch than you would with a simple crouton. Someone once told me, ‘It’s not easy to make simple food good.’ I think our Caesar is just that.”
The breadcrumbs are actually panko, browned in a skillet or in the oven with housemade garlic oil. To make the oil, they warm garlic cloves in olive oil over low heat until the garlic is tender, then strain out and discard the garlic. The oil can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
The egg yolks in the recipe thicken the dressing and make it creamy. Coddling the yolks minimizes concerns about consuming raw eggs.
KR SteakBar’s Caesar Salad
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup Caesar Dressing (see recipe)
Anchovy fillets, garlic-infused panko (see note above) and grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
In a large bowl, toss lettuce with dressing. Divide between 2 serving plates and garnish with anchovy fillets, panko and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Serves 2.
Per serving: 635 calories (percent of calories from fat, 70), 17 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrates, trace total sugars, 21 grams fiber, 52 grams total fat (8 grams saturated), 49 milligrams cholesterol, 464 milligrams sodium.
Caesar Dressing
The restaurant uses a blended oil that is 80% canola and 20% olive oil.
1 egg, room temperature
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup blended oil (see note)
1/2 (2-ounce) tin of anchovies packed in olive oil, drained
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Make coddled egg yolk: Fill a saucepan with 3 inches of water and bring to a boil. Place a bowl of ice water alongside the cooktop. Submerge whole egg in saucepan and cook 1 minute, then remove egg to ice bath. Cool 2 minutes, then carefully crack egg open and separate yolk, discarding egg white.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process vinegar and coddled egg yolk for 10 seconds. With processor running, slowly drizzle in blended oil. Stop machine and add anchovies and garlic. Process 30 seconds, or until garlic and anchovies are pureed. Stop machine and add pepper, ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco and process 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and process 20 seconds. Mixture will have thickened. Move dressing to a jar, cover and refrigerate until needed. Use within 2 days. Shake well before using.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Per tablespoon: 118 calories (percent of calories from fat, 94), 1 gram protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace total sugars, trace fiber, 13 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 12 milligrams cholesterol, 97 milligrams sodium.
From the menu of . . . KR SteakBar, 349 Peachtree Hills Ave., Atlanta. 404-841-8820, krsteakbar.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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