Crackers are one of the main ingredients of the popular Caesar salad. It is the contrast of juicy greens, crisp bread and delicate sauce that makes the taste of this dish balanced and unique. If one of the components is of insufficient quality, the snack will be irreparably damaged. Experienced chefs will never put purchased rusks in it, even if their manufacturer has a good reputation, and on the packaging with snacks it is written that they were made specifically for “Caesar”. Even the best purchased croutons cannot be compared with homemade croutons, especially since the Caesar salad croutons need special ones: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with unobtrusive garlic flavor and aroma. Such can be done only with their own hands, using the appropriate technology.
Cooking Features
It is easy to prepare tender croutons for Caesar salad, which will give it a characteristic taste. Even a novice cook without much effort to cope with this task. However, knowing a few moments is not enough.
- The Caesar salad crackers should be made from wheat bread. Some use rye-wheat bread, the result is also quite good. But rye bakery products with spices, cereals, bran, made from custard dough, for this purpose it is better not to use. Crackers from them will have too sharp aroma, competing with aroma of the basic ingredients of salad, or will appear too rough.
- Good crackers cannot be made from dried or soft bread. “Yesterday's” loaf is best suited for this purpose - it is already slightly dried, but not yet stale.
- The crust is cut from the bread. For croutons, only crumb is used. Cut it into small cubes. Their ideal size is 8-10 mm. For slicing it is better to use a sharp knife so that the bread does not crumble, the cuts are even.
- Properly cooked for Caesar salad croutons have a delicate garlic aroma, but they do not end up with burnt pieces of garlic. In order to make such croutons, garlic oil is required. To do this, they insist on garlic or lightly fried garlic cloves in it. If the oil insists on chopped garlic, it must be drained before use.
- Delicious and beautiful croutons will be obtained if they turn out to be evenly coated with oil. There are several ways to achieve this. One option is to coat them with an oil using a special brush, the second is to put them in a bag of oil and shake them. Some cooks put prepared cubes of bread in a bowl, sprinkle with butter, cover with a second bowl and shake vigorously several times. You can choose any method, since they all allow you to achieve your goal.
Caesar salad croutons can be cooked in a frying pan, oven, or microwave. An interesting taste will allow them to add the use of spicy herbs and cheese.
Cesar salad croutons in the oven
Composition:
- long loaf - 0, 3 kg;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- olive oil - 60 ml.
Method of preparation:
- With a loaf, cut the crusts. Cut it into slices with a width of not more than a centimeter. Put several pieces on top of each other, cut first into long bars, then into cubes.
- Crush garlic with a hand press, add oil. Infuse garlic oil for at least half an hour.
- Strain the oil through gauze.
- Lay parchment on a baking sheet, sprinkle bread pieces on it.
- Brush the bread with the prepared oil using a cooking brush.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees, place in it a baking sheet with bread.
- After 5 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven, turn the croutons over, oil them on the other side.
- Return the baking tray to the oven and dry the bread for another 5-7 minutes.
This recipe for Caesar salad crackers is one of the easiest, you can make a batch for a popular snack on it fairly quickly, but there is an even easier and faster option.
Caesar salad crackers in the microwave
Composition:
- wheat-rye or wheat bread - 0, 4 kg;
- olive oil - 60 ml;
- garlic powder - 5 g;
- dried dill - 10 g;
- ground paprika, fine salt - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Bread cut into slices about a centimeter thick. Make cuts along the contour with a knife, remove the crusts. Crumb cut into the same cubes.
- Mix butter with garlic powder, dill, paprika and salt. Pour it into a plastic bag.
- Pour the bread into the bag. Shake, mix the crackers in the package.
- Place a portion of the croutons in a dish suitable for use in the microwave.
- Put the dish in the microwave. Run it at maximum power for 2 minutes. Turn the crackers over, turn on the unit for another 2 minutes.
In the same way, the remaining croutons are fried. They have a moderately savory taste, aroma of garlic and fresh herbs.
Crackers for Caesar salad in a pan
Composition:
- wheat bread - 0, 3 kg;
- olive oil - 120 ml;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- salt, Italian herbs - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Bread, peeled from crusts, cut into small cubes.
- Cut the garlic cloves in half.
- Heat oil in a pan, put garlic pieces in it. Fry them until they start to darken. After that, the garlic from the oil should be immediately removed so that it does not acquire a bitter taste.
- Dip the croutons in the butter and brown them, sometimes stirring, for 3-5 minutes.
- Put the croutons on a napkin so that it absorbs the excess oil.
- In a bowl, add half the salt and Italian herbs.
- Put the croutons in it, sprinkle with the remaining spices.
- Cover the bowl with a plate, shake it several times so that the croutons are evenly covered with aromatic herbs.
- Pour the croutons on a baking sheet and place for 7-8 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. In the process of drying, croutons will not interfere with a couple of times.
By the same principle, croutons with cheese can be made by finely rubbing it and replacing it with a mixture of fragrant herbs.
Salad "Caesar" will get tastier if the croutons for him to prepare his own. This can be done in different ways, if you know the basic principles of cooking.
