Grilled Little Gem Caesar Recipe

Prepare bread

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Whisk together 3 tbs olive oil, chopped parsley, thyme and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl. Brush or lightly drizzle the mixture over both sides of the bread slices.

Toast in the oven 6–8 minutes, flipping once, until golden and crisp. Remove and let cool slightly. Rub the top of each warm crostini with the cut garlic clove for a subtle garlic note.

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), minced anchovy fillets (or anchovy paste), lemon juice, Dijon, Worcestershire, minced garlic and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Whisk until smooth.

Slowly whisk in 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper; taste and adjust lemon, salt or anchovy as desired. Refrigerate until assembly.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both cut sides of each Little Gem half lightly with 2 tbs olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.

Place lettuce halves cut-side down on the hot grill. Grill 1½–2 minutes until char marks appear and lettuce softens slightly, then rotate and grill an additional 1 minute. Remove; grilling is to warm and add smokiness while keeping lettuce crisp.

Place two grilled Little Gem halves on each plate. Spoon about 1 to 1½ tbs of Caesar vinaigrette over each half (adjust to taste), letting it pool slightly in the leaves.

Scatter shaved Parmesan over the lettuces and sprinkle with a small grind of fresh black pepper. Top with 3 crostini per serving, or break crostini into shards and scatter over the salad for texture.

Serve immediately while crostini are crisp and lettuce is warm. Leftover dressing will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.