Can You Freeze Caesar Salad Dressing?

[AlexR]

OK, I'm sure that this sounds like a dumb question....

But the fact is that I just love caesar salad, and cannot buy the dressing where I live.

I just came back from the States and brought three (plastic) bottles in my suitcase...

A few months ago, I pulled a recipe off the Internet and managed to produce a very creditable version of the dressing at home. However, the recipe (and presumably any recipe for caesar salad dressing) calls for raw egg.
I have heard that it is not good to freeze raw egg.

Has anyone ever had any experience with regard to such food?

Best regards,
Alex R.

 

[college_cook]

I'm not sure about freezing the raw egg, but I do know that there's a ton of oil in Caesar dressing, and tryin to freeze your dressing might break it.

 

[Caine]

Instead of raw egg, use an egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters. Actually this is quite common now, in the States anyway, due to the salmonella in raw eggs scares.

Here's a replica recipe for Outback Steakhouse's Caesar Salad dressing:
1 cup Egg Beaters
1 ¼ ounces crushed garlic
3 ½ ounces parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 ½ ounces anchovies
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Here's another dressing you just might like, with no egg. When I serve it, all my dinner guests refuse to go home until I give them the recipe!

SOUTHWEST CAESAR DRESSING​

1 c Mayonnaise
1 t Brown sugar
2 T Soy sauce
3 T Lemon juice
1/2 t Cayenne pepper
2 T Grated Cotija or Asadero cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

 

[Barb L.]

Thanks so much for the recipe Caine, sounds very good.

 

[JMediger]

Our recipe is very similar to the Outback recipe with the following exceptions ... we don't use red wine vinegar, just lemon juice, we use 3 egg yolks rather than the beaters, no parsley and finally, we use a couple of squirts of real mustard rather than the dried. We have also found that keeping a tube of anchovie paste around is easier than keeping tins. It seems we "whip it up" much more often than when we have to rinse the buggers (I like the taste but hate the look of them!).

Except for binding, I'm not sure you would have to include the egg actually. I don't know it adds that much except for a creamier texture. If you made it in a food processor, you might get enough air to create the same effect with no egg ... just a thought.

 

[carolelaine]

I have a recipe that we love that came out of Good Housekeeping a few years ago, it is just like Outback's except it uses 1/4 cup mayo instead of eggs. You can't freeze the dressing, I've tried. It comes apart and is just a mess. Sorry.

 

[jennyema]

Egg Beaters are egg whites, while most traditional Caesar Salad dressings use a whole egg or just yolks because the yolk gives tradtional Caesar dressing part of its distinctive taste.

You can freeze whole eggs that have been lightly beaten.

My mother freezes the Caesar Salad dressing I make for her and she claims it's fine, but I have never done it. I would be afraid it would break. But if it did, i'd try to emulsify it again, perhaps adding more mustard to assist with that.

 

[college_cook]

A proper caesar dressing is an emulsification of egg yolks or whole eggs, some acid, and oil. You can make a good imitation of the flavor by using mayo instead of emilsifying your own eggs and oil, but the texture will be much too thick, and will probably have an oily taste; what you'll have is caesar mayo. However, mayo is thick enough that it might not break in the freezer.

Here's the caesar we at the restaurant:

8 yolks
1 cup parm
3 oz Worcertshire
1 TB ground mustard
8-10 cloves garlic
juice of 4 limes
salt and pepper to taste

All of this goes into a food processor for about 30 seconds to get combined. Then, emulsify with olive oil until the dressing has a consistency just slightly more runny than ketchup. I have no quantity for oil because the yolks hold more or less oil depending upon many factors; size of yolk, age, etc. What's important is getting the right consistency; if you add too much oil you just end up with caesar mayo, a very poor and oily caesar-wannabe. Traditionally the recipe contains anchovies, which you can add if you like.

Also, and don't quote me on this, but I think I read somewhere that salmonella is only contained in the shell and the white of the egg.