A proper Caesar salad relies on cold romaine hearts, crisp golden sourdough croutons baked with olive oil, and an emulsion dressing that balances garlic, sharp parmesan, and lemon—made in 25 minutes without raw eggs.

Our furnace broke during the coldest week of January, leaving the kitchen as the only warm room for three days. I made a Winter Citrus Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette three times that week because it took only ten minutes, required no oven, and provided a refreshing meal while we wore coats indoors. My husband…