I know there’s not that much that’s special about a caesar salad – it’s been done, and it’s not hard to make. And kale salad, it’s the trendiest of trendy right now.

I got an inexplicable amount of pleasure out of making the caesar dressing for the salad. It’s pretty standard – garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, anchovy, olive oil. But I made it by hand, using a mortar and pestle, and it was the most beautiful emulsion I’ve ever made. Absolutely perfect. I even got brave and used real, salt-packed anchovies instead of paste.

Rustic croutons top the salad – I used Tuscan kale, because it’s my favorite to eat raw. We loved it.

Oh, yeah. I also made some really good chicken, too. It’s brined in seasoned buttermilk and coated with a mixture of bread crumbs and corn flakes (yikes!), then baked in the oven. It’s fabulous. Juicy, flavorful, and rivals the best fried chicken, if you ask me.

The recipe for the salad can be found at Tasting Table, and the chicken recipe is at Bake Like a Ninja.

• Oven-Fried Chicken (Cook’s Country, October/November 2005)
• Kale Caesar Salad (Tartine Bread, p. 218)