Pesto Caesar Salads in Crouton Cups
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Presenting food is about more than just the food itself. What you serve it on matters, too.
A simple, clean backdrop makes your meal the focus of attention. You can add accessories, color and texture to the table, but make enhancing the food, not overpowering it, your main focus. Start with shape of the plate itself; make sure it holds the food comfortably, leaving a little open space. Then think about color and go for contrast. Use white plates for dark food, and dark plates for light colored foods. Of course you want the food to taste as good as it looks, a feast for the eyes and the palate!
Why not combine the salad and what you serve it on into one delish little dish? Serve Pesto Caesar Salad in a Garlic Crouton Cup. The cups are made by seasoning slices of bread and pressing them into muffin cups and baking until crisp. Fill with Caesar Salad and top with delicate Parmesan Crisp. Beautiful presentation. Delicious Taste. For this recipe and more inspired ideas for artful food, visit Dole.com
Directions
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
• Brush or spray each slice of bread lightly with olive oil. Combine garlic salt and dried basil. Sprinkle mixture over both sides of the bread. Season each with pepper.
• Flatten bread slightly with rolling pin. Gently press each slice into a muffin cup, allowing edges to hang over cup. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven; cool.
• Toss lettuce with Pesto Caesar dressing to taste; spoon into garlic crouton cups. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and a parmesan crisp. Serve immediately.
Pesto Caesar Dressing: Whisk together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 3 cloves garlic, pressed. 2 teaspoons anchovy paste, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons prepared pesto until blended. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Parmesan Crisps: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mound shredded Parmesan cheese in 12 (1/2 teaspoonfuls) onto prepared sheet. Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Let cool 1 minute. Serve.
Per Serving: calories, g fat (g sat.), mg cholesterol, mg sodium, g carbohydrate (g dietary fiber, g sugars), g protein, % Vit A, % Vit C, % calcium, % iron, % potassium, % folate
| Yield: | 12 servings |
|---|
What's Needed:
12 slices white bread, crusts removed
Olive oil or olive oil spray
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
Freshly ground black pepper
2-1/2 cups DOLE® Hearts of Romaine chopped
Pesto Caesar Dressing (recipe below)
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan Crisps (recipe below)
Recipe brought
to you by Amy Tobin
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