Caesar Salad with Quail's Egg & Smoked Bacon

Inspired by Chef Jason Bangerter's Caesar Salad when he used to be chef at Luma before moving to Langdon Hall, this recipe reproduces his modern interpretation of the culinary classic. With all of the familiar salty and savoury flavours of a classic Caesar, Chef Bangerter's version was absolutely delicious and the presentation, stunning. Tiny boiled quail's eggs, crispy double smoked bacon lardons, homemade croutons, salt cured anchovy fillets and thick curls of shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano were all nestled atop centre-cut medallions of romaine lettuce hearts topped with a tangy Caesar vinaigrette. Delicious.

Caesar Salad with Double Smoked Bacon & Quail's Eggs
Serves 4

4 jumbo romaine lettuce hearts
12 quail's eggs, at room temperature
12 anchovy fillets
2 thick slices double smoked bacon
Parmigiano-Reggiano

Croutons:
1 small baguette
1 tsp herbe de provence
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Caesar Dressing:
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 anchovy fillets
2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with kosher salt
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

For the dressing: In a small blender, combine the egg, lemon juice, mustard, anchovies and garlic. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until the dressing is smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the homemade croutons: slice the baguette into 1/2-inches pieces, then cut each slice into bite size pieces, about 6 croutons per slice. Place a small skillet over medium-high with some olive oil, and when the oil is shimmering, add the bread. Liberally season with salt, pepper and herbe de provence, tossing to coat and stirring frequently until the bread is golden brown. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Julienne the double smoked bacon into 1/8-inch slices and then sauté in a small skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until the bacon is crisp and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Place the quail's eggs in a small saucepan of cold water and bring to a gentle boil, allowing the eggs to cook 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and cool briefly in cold water so the eggs are easier to handle. While they're still warm, peel carefully by first tapping the eggs all over to crack the shells, then holding each egg under a slow trickle of running water, peel the shell off starting at the wide end. The water will flush off any bits of shell that cling on to the eggs. Cover and set aside until needed. (This can all be done ahead up to this point).

To compose the salad: start by setting out 4 dinner bowls. On a cutting board, slice each heart of romaine crosswise into 2-inch thick 'medallions,' using just the centre cut and discarding the head and root — you should get about 3 or 4 pieces per head. As you cut each lettuce, place 3 'wheels' tightly together on each plate. Drizzle half of the dressing over the lettuce, then top with the bacon, followed by the croutons then the anchovies. Slice each quail's eggs in half and divide among each salad. Using a vegetable peeler, slice the Parmigiano-Reggiano into thick curls and garnish over each salad, then finish with a final drizzle of dressing. Season with fresh ground black pepper and a sprinkle of Maldon salt.