Two Cool Classics

Here are two recipes that your refrigerator and freezer should never be without: the classic, ubiquitous Caesar salad dressing and coffee granita, a light, icy dessert that keeps almost forever in the freezer.

Many people know the story of Caesar salad, but few have tasted the original. Julia Child, however, remembers going to Tijuana in 1925 with her parents, who were wildly excited about lunch at Caesar’s restaurant because word had spread about Caesar Cardini and his Caesar salad.

The original dressing had no anchovies in it, but because Worcestershire sauce has a hint of anchovy, it was thought that anchovies had been added.

The original recipe was simply choice Romaine leaves, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, coddled eggs, peppercorns, Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan cheese, salt and toasted croutons. If you want to try the original version, eliminate the anchovies, hot pepper sauce, wine vinegar and cream from this recipe.

I keep a jar of Caesar dressing in the refrigerator and use it for more than salads. I add a spoonful to broth or soup, put a little over a baked potato or on pasta and use it sparingly as a boost to many cooked vegetables.

Coffee Granita always gets raves for such a simple dessert. Granita doesn’t lose flavor or texture even after weeks in the freezer, and it’s fat-free, except for the unsweetened whipped cream that finishes the dessert perfectly.

Cunningham’s latest book is “Cooking With Children” (Alfred A. Knopf, 1995).

CAESAR SALAD

3 heads Romaine lettuce

2 slices white bread

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup olive oil

1 or 2 anchovy fillets, optional

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 coddled egg yolk, optional (see Kitchen Tip)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

A half cup of vegetable oil may be mixed with 1/2 cup of olive oil instead of using all olive oil. I recommend using Parmesan-Reggiano cheese. Use a 2-cup jar with lid to mix and store the dressing. If dressing will not be used immediately, the egg should either be omitted entirely or added just before dressing the greens.

Remove tough, discolored outer leaves from Romaine. Rinse and thoroughly dry tender, more delicate leaves. Loosely wrap in towel and refrigerate.

Remove crusts from bread and cut into 3/4-inch squares. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees, tossing every 5 minutes, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Put garlic, salt and olive oil in 2-cup jar with lid. Screw on lid and shake well.

Put anchovies and 2 tablespoons garlic oil in small bowl and mash with fork or spoon to mix well. Add to jar. Add Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, pepper, cream and yolk. Screw on lid and shake thoroughly until dressing is completely blended. Makes 1 cup dressing.

Remove lettuce from refrigerator and tear or cut into bite-size pieces and put in large salad bowl. Drizzle 1/3 cup dressing over salad and toss gently to coat all leaves. Add more dressing if needed. Sprinkle with cheese, add croutons and toss again. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve at once.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving:

614 calories; 834 mg sodium; 90 mg cholesterol; 62 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.36 gram fiber.

COFFEE GRANITA

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

8 cups strong coffee, hot

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Decaffeinated coffee may be substituted for the regular coffee. Be sure to use plenty of sugar; the granita never tastes as sweet chilled as it does at room temperature.

Add sugar to hot coffee and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour coffee into large shallow pan and freeze until outer edges are hard, about 1 1/2 hours. Use metal pastry scraper or metal spatula with flat edge to chop coffee ice into crystals.

Return to freezer for 1 hour. Remove and chop. Continue freezing and chopping until all coffee is crystallized. (Note: Pan of coffee may be allowed to freeze solid before chopping, but it’s harder to chop.)

Store in container in freezer until ready to use. To serve, fill glasses or bowls halfway with granita; add large spoonful of unsweetened whipped cream, then add another layer of granita. Serve immediately.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings:

143 calories; 12 mg sodium; 33 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0 fiber.

Kitchen Tip

Caesar salad dressing traditionally uses coddled eggs, but beware that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found uncooked and partially cooked eggs to be a potential carrier of food-borne illness. Children, seniors and those with compromised immune systems are advised to omit the egg.

To coddle the egg, if using, gently drop it into a pan of boiling water and immediately remove pan from heat to coddle. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Remove from water and gently remove yolk from shell and white. It’s easier than it sounds.

Don Ryan bowl from Freehand, Los Angeles