Vincent Price Caesar Salad

Mr. Price's "Treasury of Great Recipes" is a wonderful cookbook that I'm privileged to have on my shelf! The style of recipe format is rather different from what we're used to these days, so I'm translating for a more modern audience. Posted by request. Times do not include overnight chilling, but do include chilling for the lettuce.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  heads romaine lettuce
• 1  clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1  cup olive oil
• 4  slices  stale  French bread
• 1  dash cayenne pepper
• 1  dash Tabasco sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 6  anchovy fillets, diced and mashed (optional)
• 1  teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  egg
• 3  tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed preferred)
• 3⁄8 cup  grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Night before serving (or 8 hours before): crush the garlic and add into the olive oil, then chill overnight in glass container in refrigerator.
2. About an hour before serving: tear the leaves from the lettuce, wash well, and dry thoroughly (a salad spinner works well); chill in refrigerator.
3. When ready to make salad: strain and remove the garlic from the infused chilled olive oil.
4. Trim the crusts from the stale bread, cut into cubes, and brown them by sautéing over medium heat in 1/4 cup of the garlic-infused olive oil, turning them to brown on all sides; drain on paper towels and set aside.
5. Pour the remaining infused oil into a jar and add the cayenne, Tabasco, sugar, and anchovies (which Mr Vincent says are optional, but you shouldn't try to make real Caesar dressing without them), cover with lid, and shake well to mix.
6. Break the chilled lettuce leaves into pieces and place in a large bowl; sprinkle the lettuce with the pepper and salt, then pour the olive oil mixture over and mix to thoroughly coat the leaves.
7. Put water in a pot and bring to a full boil, then take the egg and boil it for 1 minute; remove, crack the shell, and drop it into the salad.
8. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the egg in the salad and then gently stir the egg into the leaves- it will come to have a creamy appearance.
9. Presentation: when ready to serve the salad, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over it and then the croutons, then toss lightly to mix and serve immediately.
10. Great with garlic bread!