BLT Salad & Crispy Shallot Croutons

Preheat oven to 400 F.

For the dressing:
Combine mayonnaise, maple syrup, Parmesan, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper and mix thoroughly in a food processor or by hand. Refrigerate until needed. Dressing can be made a couple days in advance. It may separate slightly and if it does just shake or stir before using.

For the salad:
Lay slices of bacon on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet in a single layer or over a wire rack if you have one that fits the pan. Place in the preheated oven and cook until deepened in color and crispy. Begin checking at 12 minutes for thinner bacon or 15 minutes for thick-cut bacon. If some pieces finish while others are still soft, remove slices in batches, but be careful not to spill grease when moving the tray in and out of the oven. When done, use tongs to transfer bacon to paper towels to cool, then crumble or chop into pieces that are small, but still big enough that they retain the texture and taste of bacon.

Make the crispy shallot topping. Heat oil in a small saucepan (1/2 to 1″ depth of oil) over medium heat until very hot (turn up heat if needed). A water droplet hitting the surface should pop and sizzle if the oil is hot enough. Mix cornstarch with the salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Just before frying, sprinkle the shallots with cornstarch mixture and toss to coat. Shake to remove excess. Add shallots into the pan in small batches (don’t crowd the pan), stirring occasionally as they fry. Remove from oil when golden brown (about 1 ½ to 2 minutes) to drain on paper towel, and repeat with remaining shallots.

Put romaine, cauliflower, and bacon in a large bowl and drizzle with almost all the dressing. Toss to combine, adding more dressing to your liking (alternately, serve the salad undressed in individual bowls with dressing on the side).

Serve salad topped with fresh tomatoes and crispy shallot “croutons”.