Caesar-style Salad Dressing

adapted from a recipe from Ley Clifton in the Penzey’s Spices catalog, Spring 2010, p. 37

I LOVE Caesar Salad.  I’ve avoided making my own authentic “Caesar Dressing” (as invented by Caesar Cardini) because of the raw eggs required.  I often buy Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar Dressing, but really prefer to make dressings from scratch.  This “Caesar-style” dressing really fits the bill.  Nice taste and texture. And egg-free!

1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbls. Diron-style mustard
1 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbls. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder (optional)
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 Tbls. Penzey’s Italian Herb Mix (or your own blend of oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme and rosemary)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the fresher, the better)

In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.  Blend well, taste, and add more spices as desired.  Toss with bite-size pieces of romaine lettuce.  Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes:

• Ley Clifton’s recipe used 1 Tbls. each of Penzey’s California Seasoned Pepper and Penzey’s Italian Vinegar and Oil Salad Dressing Base (see Penzeys.com for the specific ingredients in these blends).  I didn’t have either of them and didn’t want to include the sugar and green and red bell peppers in those mixes, so I came up with the above spice combination.  IMHO, it turned out PERFECT!
• The recipe above is double the amount I actually made. The recipe as written would work well for one big family-style salad; my half-batch worked for individual salads over several days.  Refrigerate any leftovers, but not for much more than a few days.