Read steps to plan for them tempo of recipe. Gather ingredients, knife, large cutting board, 2 pans/griddle, and either a rasp grater or vegetable peeler. Place 12" cast iron pan or flat griddle over high heat. Place 8-10" non stick skillet over medium heat.

Cut sourdough into large crouton squares. 3/4-1" should do. Toss them in a bowl with salt, lots of pepper, and olive oil to coat and place them flat side down on the griddle or skillet while it is still warming up. The idea is to crisp them on the outside and keep them soft and somewhat moist on the interior so cutting them too small will over cook them. Remove them to the same bowl when they turn brown and crisp. Keep the heat on high for the romaine in a moment.

While the Croutons crisp... Wash tomatoes. Put whole tomatoes in the heating non stick skillet drizzle with olive oil, about 2-3 tablespoons, Salt, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, and pepper as needed. They will blister, then burst, then blacken. At this point shake the pan to coat with juices and cook the other side of the tomatoes. You can either turn off the heat at this point or continue to cook for more concentration of flavor and color on the other side. They are your tomatoes. Do with them as you please.

Cut the romaine in half from root to top. Spread 2 teaspoons of Caesar dressing evenly over the cut half. Gently place the two halves, dressing side down, on the griddle or pan. If you are using a pan it may not completely fit. It's ok. Don't cry. Just cut off and eat the top part. Press gently to make sure maximum surface area is in contact with the iron. The idea is to quickly add color/flavor to the cut side without cooking and/or wilting the lettuce. Depending on how hot your pan is that could be 2 mins to 5 mins. Hotter the better. Smoke is ok.