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Caesar Salad Cups with Parmesan Frico September 10, 2003 |
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This is a fairly inexpensive but impressive little hors d'oeuvre that works well for any type of party. It's little hand-held salad bites, no bowl needed! The toast cups are like thin croutons, and the topping is crispy parmesan bits called frico, named for the Italian region of Friuli where it originated.
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 350o. Wash the lettuce and let it drain. Trim the crusts from the bread. Using a rolling pin or drinking glass sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, roll out each piece of bread as thin as possible. Use a round cookie cutter or the top of the drinking glass to cut a circle 3-4 inches in diameter from each piece of bread.
Melt the butter in a ramekin, and stir in a couple dashes of garlic powder. Lightly brush each side of the bread circles with the butter mixture. Turn the muffin tin over, and press one buttered circle around the bottom of each muffin cup. Bake the tins bread-side-up for 8-10 minutes, or until the cups are golden brown and crisp. Remove the toast cups to a rack to cool completely. These can be made the day before and stored in an airtight container.
While the toast cups are cooking, make the frico. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray lightly with the non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle parmesan cheese all over the skillet in a light layer -- but don't completely cover it; you want the cheese to make a lacy little cross-hatch with some open spaces. If the cheese layer is too thick, the frico will be chewy instead of crispy. Cook the parmesan until the cheese begins to slightly melt and turns golden brown. With a spatula, lift up the edge of the frico and gently turn it over to cook the other side. Be sure not to overcook or the cheese will taste bitter. Remove the frico to a paper towel to cool. Make a couple of these. These can also be made in advance, and stored in an airtight container for a couple of days.
Tear or chop the romaine into bite-size pieces. You don't want big floppy leaves or they won't fit in the cups. Toss the romaine with dressing and fresh pepper to taste. Break the frico up into pieces about an inch wide. Put the salad in the toast cups, and put a piece of frico on top of each salad. If there are a couple of odd-shaped long pieces, I'll stick them in the side of a few cups so they poke up for an interesting visual. Whatever pieces of frico remain can be scattered around the cups on the serving platter -- these are super-tasty on their own, and in fact are often served as a nibble with wine all by themselves.
(click to see the full-sized image!) |
