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Apr 4, 2023

Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts

These Caesar Salad Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts are a wonderful first course to any dinner. 

Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts on plates.


How elegant would it be to serve these Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts at a dinner party? Your guests would be blown away. 

Instead of serving the salad with the traditional garlic croutons, just place the salad in these flakey, garlicky, buttery, and cheesy crusts. Ah-maze-ing. Your guests will be raving about it for days. The pastry crusts are loaded with sweet roasted garlic.

Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts on plates.


The crusts can be made a day or two in advance, wrapped in foil, and refrigerated until your elegant party for eight or romantic dinner for two. 

The dressing is crazy delicious. I thing the difference is the addition of crushed capers. This will be my go-to Caesar dressing forevermore. It's the best Caesar dressing I've ever tried so far. 

All you need is fresh romaine and grated Parmesan and you have a stunning garlicky first course.

Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts on plates with whole garlic bulbs in background.


Ingredients:

For the crusts you will need flour, salt, and butter along with roasted garlic and finely grated Parmesan cheese. 

For the dressing, you will need more garlic, capers, rinsed, fresh parsley, anchovy paste, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper, and olive oil. 

To complete the salad, you'll need romaine lettuce, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and freshly ground black pepper. 

Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts on plates.


Procedure:

First, prepare the garlic butter crusts. Bake the garlic heads in olive oil and wrapped in foil for about 40 minutes. 

Next, mix the roasted garlic with butter, Parmesan, salt, and flour in a stand mixer until crumbly, and then press it into tartlet pans and bake the crusts for about twenty minutes. 

To Make the dressing, pulse the ingredients in a food processor until blended. 

Finally, assemble the salads and serve.

Garlic tartlet crusts in tartlet pans.



 


Make-Ahead:

You can make both the crusts up to two days in advance and the dressing up to three days in advance.  Refrigerate until ready to use them. 

April is National Garlic Month. 

Enjoy these wonderful recipes featuring garlic! 

  • Garlic Butter Pasta by Jolene's Recipe Journal
  • Sauteed Garlic Spinach Agrodolce by Palatable Pastime
  • Garlic Scape Butter by Art of Natural Living
  • Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts by Karen's Kitchen Stories
  • Garlic Rolls by The Spiffy Cookie
  • Ginger Garlic Quinoa by Magical Ingredients
  • One Pot Penne Alfredo by A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Granulated Garlic & Onion Potato Cheese Soup by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

  • This is an updated post (new photos and instructions), first published in April 2014.  



    Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts on plates.


    Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts

    Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts
    Yield: 8 Salads
    Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories
    These Caesar Salad Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts are a wonderful first course to any dinner.

    Ingredients

    For the Crusts
    • 2 whole heads of garlic
    • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 cup / 2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
    Caesar Dressing
    • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
    • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and smashed
    • 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
    • 1 heaping teaspoon anchovy paste
    • 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
    • 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • Pinch of cayenne pepper
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    For the Salads
    • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces

    Instructions

    To Prepare the Crusts
    1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Cut the tops off of the garlic heads and sprinkle with the olive oil.
    3. Wrap in foil and bake for about 40 minutes.
    4. Remove the garlic heads from the oven and allow to cool.
    5. Remove the cloves of garlic with a small fork and place them into the bowl of a stand mixer.
    6. Add the butter, cheese, and salt, and mix with the paddle attachment for about a minute. Add the flour and mix for another minute, until just crumbly.
    7. Divide the dough among 8 four inch tart pans and press into the pans. "Dock" the crusts with a fork. Place the pans onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned.
    8. Cool on the cookie sheet on a rack. At this point, you can wrap them in foil and refrigerate.
    To Make the Dressing
    1. Add all of the ingredients into the bowl of a small food processor and pulse.
    To Assemble the Salads
    1. Place each tartlet on an individual salad plate.
    2. Toss the romaine with the dressing and the Parmesan. Divide the salad among the crusts.
    3. Serve.

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories

    503.53

    Fat (grams)

    36.63 g

    Sat. Fat (grams)

    17.56 g

    Carbs (grams)

    36.35 g

    Fiber (grams)

    2.89 g

    Net carbs

    33.43 g

    Sugar (grams)

    1.14 g

    Protein (grams)

    8.78 g

    Sodium (milligrams)

    449.24 mg

    Cholesterol (grams)

    69.81 mg
    Caesar
    Salad
    Did you make this recipe?
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    More Garlicky  Recipes You May Also Enjoy:

    Garlic Mashed Potatoes

    Garlic and Cheese Country Bread

    Garlic Knots

    Gnocchetti with Asparagus and Garlic-Gorgonzola Sauce 

    Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza Pockets 

    Slow-Roasted Lamb with 40 Cloves of Garlic 


    Would you like to comment?

    1. What a great idea, Karen! I can think of a thousand things I'd love to put in a garlicky crust like this, Caesar salad being only one of them. Pinning on my Recipes to Try board!

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    2. What a great way to serve a Caesar salad! Love it!

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    3. I close my eyes and I can smell that garlic crust! YUM!

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    4. These are beautiful!!! What a great presentation idea for a salad...and the crust my be to die for!
      Renee - Kudos Kitchen

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    5. I would have a dinner part all by myself if that's what it took to get these, Karen. They are absolutely mouthwatering - I need them!

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    6. Love, love, love! I'm drooling over the garlicky crust.. I so need to make these.

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      1. You've inspired me to dip into my overabundant collection of cookbooks!

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    7. Oh, what an amazing idea. I just love it…Bea @ The Not So Cheesy Kitchen

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    8. Very creative use of garlic! I must remember this for my own dinner party.

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    9. I love the look of these mini tarts!

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    10. I would have never thought of this but it's genius!!! My husband is a huge Ceasar Salad fan and I know this combo would really be enjoyable for him.

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    11. Lovely way to serve a ceasar salad to company!
      I was wondering whether I am reading the butter measurement correctly.
      Is that 1 cup of butter or 2 sticks of butter?

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      Replies
      1. Thanks Laurie! It's either or, as they are the same thing here in the States. I guess it does look a bit confusing!

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    12. Love the presentation and the way these look, a true showstopper!

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    13. My favorite garlic "dish" is garlic bread, hands down. Love garlic in just about everything I eat, though. This looks ah-mazing! Love ceasar salad.

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    14. I'd like to make the Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic dish!

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    15. Such an interesting idea and delicious dish! Haven't seen Caesar salad in such form yet :)

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    16. I love this idea. Now I need to plan a dinner party!!!

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    17. This right here...PERFECTION. I can't think of anything I'd rather eat more!!!

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    18. These are sure to be the star of any gathering! I love that you can make the tarts and the dressing in advance!

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    19. The crust looks so crunchy and good. What a fun new take on Caesar Salad!

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    20. WOW! This sounds delicious and looks elegant. Who wouldn't love these adorable salad bowls. You rock as usual Karen!

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