Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad? . . . why yes, I think I will

      This post is for my sister.  She keeps telling me that she wants my caesar dressing recipe.  One of her favorite meals my mom makes for us is a chicken caesar salad with tortellini (if you haven't noticed we like tortellini around here) sunflower seeds and of course some grilled chicken.  Krys, I'm sorry but I had to change this up a little bit, I've been missing my Northwest smoked salmon!
      I found these neat cedar papers at the store the other day.  Like making a cedar plank salmon they let you individually wrap small pieces of salmon for one person and get a light smoke on them as you grill your fish.  Bought ourselves a side of sockeye salmon and cured it for 2 days.  The point of curing your fish is to bring out some of that moisture as well as to infuse some nice flavor.  You use salt as wells as sugar to balance the flavor and moisture of your finished product.  Because this was going to be a longer cure I made mine with more sugar than salt, I flavored it with pepper and lemon thyme
1/4 cup salt (use good salt here, sea salt is preferable)
1/2 brown sugar
1 TBS lemon thyme, chopped
1 TBS cracked black pepper
if you don't have lemon thyme add some lemon peel (take off with a potato peeler) and regular thyme, or maybe try some dill.  Mix the cure together and then pack onto the salmon.  Wrap it and refrigerate for at least 1 day, but not more than 3.
Then rinse the fish, cut it into the portions you want for meal.  Wrap in soaked cedar paper (or if you can't find any, lay the pieces out on a cedar plank) and grill until cooked to your liking.  Now you can of course do anything you want with this salmon.  Maybe serve with with sticky rice and stir-fried vegetables, or on top of asparagus risotto with glazed baby carrots, or marinated beets.  As I said before, Mark and I are having Caesar salad.
      So first things first, we need dressing.  I really like making (and teaching about) this dressing, because it has most of the ingredients used to emulsify liquids with oil.  This will make about 2 cups of dressing which will be plenty for dinner as well as a few more meals, and the dressing will last a good week or two in your fridge, so don't be afraid that you are making too much.  Start with a base of
1 hard boiled egg
1 egg yolk
2 oz Parmesan, grated
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp anchovie paste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 TBS lemon juice (or 2 TBS cider vinegar)
1 tsp, fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS water
Blend this together in a food processor or if you have it with an immersion blender.  Then slowly drizzle in 1 cup salad oil while the blender is running.  Be sure to use a mild flavor oil so as not to overpower your dressing.  As you blend it it will become thick like mayonnaise.  If it gets too thick to mix well add a little bit more water  and continue blending.  The flavor in the end should be slightly salty  and a little spicy from the garlic and anchovie paste then it should have a little bite of sour from the lemon juice or vinegar.
      As for the salad itself use a sturdy green, traditionally romaine goes in a caesar salad, but I like the green leafy part myself more than the heart of the lettuce so my preference leans toward green or red leaf lettuce if I'm just making the salad for myself.  I also like some shredded Parmesan and some kind of crouton.  For mine I made some baguette crostinis, which were rather nice for scooping up my salmon.  These are simple, just baguette sliced thinly brushed with olive oil and seasoned with a little bit of salt and pepper, toasted until crunchy.  Toss your lettuce, parmesan and anything else you want mixed into your salad with about 1 tbs of dressing per serving.  A bed of lettuce goes down on the plate and is topped with the salmon and a little more parmesan.

      I really hope you enjoy this as much as I do.  This dressing is quite versatile and great not only for caesar salads but as a dressing on pasta salad, or maybe a dip for artichoke or any other vegetables.  And as always, remember a meal is better shared with people you love.