Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts

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 this flakey, garlicky, buttery, and cheesy crust. Ah-maze-ing. Your guests will be raving about it for days. 

The pastry crusts are loaded with sweet roasted garlic. Heavenly. 

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. 

If you are nervous about raw egg in your Caesar dressing, this version will make you happy. While not as creamy as traditional Caesar, it is crazy delicious. I think the difference is the addition of crushed capers. This will be my go-to Caesar dressing forevermore. This is not hyperbole (well, maybe, but it's the best Caesar dressing I've ever tried... so far). And you can make it up to three days in advance. 

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

Caesar Tartlets with Sweet Garlic Butter Crusts

Makes 8 servings. 

Ingredients

Garlic Crusts

2 whole heads of garlic

2 T of extra virgin olive oil

1 C/2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 C finely grated Parmesan cheese (grate it yourself, do not use pre-grated cheese)

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour

Caesar Dressing

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 T capers, rinsed and smashed

2 tsp fresh parsley

1 heaping tsp anchovy paste

4 tsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Salad

1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

To make the crusts:

1. Preheat 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 salad:

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 and bask in the glory.  

Recipe adapted from Savory Baking: 75 Warm and Inspiring Recipes for Crisp, Savory Baking.

I am participating in a celebration of #NationalGarlicDay along with all of these wonderful food bloggers. This is indeed an honor. Check out their crazy good garlic recipes:

• Garlic and Herb Lamb Chops from Healthy. Delicious
• Garlic Fried Rice from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Garlic Trifecta with Quinoa Pasta and Spinach from Peaceful Cooking
• Gnocchetti with Asparagus and Garlic-Gorgonzola Sauce from The Spiffy Cookie
• Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza Pockets from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Slow-Roasted Lamb with 40 Cloves of Garlic from Food Lust People Love