This post will be a riff on vinaigrette dressing, sometimes called French dressing but which bears no relationship to that awful orange glop grocery stores label as "French." A vinaigrette dressing is, instead, and at its most basic, a combination of an acid - vinegar or lemon juice - with an oil of some kind, flavored or not. It also needs an ingredient that acts as an emulsifier, to hold the combination together. The most common emulsifier is mustard. My earliest version of vinaigrette was simply a one to three ratio of vinegar to oil, with a little mustard and a hint of sugar to help defray the sting of the acid, in a recipe like this: 1 T vinegar, 1 t mustard, a pinch of sugar, some salt and pepper, and 3 T oil. Mix all ingredients except the oil together in a small bowl with a whisk or dinner fork and then, continuing to whisk, add the oil in a slow but steady stream. I used this recipe for vinaigrette dressing for years and it remains a perfectly good, if somewhat bland, dressing for salads.
As I became more interested in the actual taste of food (rather than just eating it for sustenance), I branched out to a more complicated vinaigrette. Several versions are shown here.
As I became more interested in the actual taste of food (rather than just eating it for sustenance), I branched out to a more complicated vinaigrette. Several versions are shown here.
VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
makes about 1/2 cup
The French Version
3 T white wine vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
2 t finely chopped shallot
6 T extra-virgin olive oil
The Italian Version
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
Mix all ingredients except the oil together in a bowl, then add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, until an emulsion is formed. Since the Italian version has no emulsifier, it won't hold, so if you prepare it some time before dressing your salad, you'll have to mix it again just before serving.
Lately I've discovered a recipe from Ina Garten that I use more frequently, particularly if I'm serving a simple green salad after the entree. It uses both a raw egg and mustard as the emulsifiers, but if you're nervous about a raw egg, just leave it out. This has plenty of pep to jazz up a plain green salad.
INA GARTEN'S GREEN SALAD VINAIGRETTE
serves 6 to 8
3 T champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1/2 t minced fresh garlic
1 extra large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 t kosher salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C good olive oil
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, salt and pepper. While continuing to whisk, slowly add the olive oil until the combination is emulsified.
Please don't over dress your salad. The leaves should all have some dressing but not be dripping with it. If you want to make this ahead, you can put the dressing in the bottom of your salad bowl and put the greens on top. Mix at the last minute, just before serving.
I welcome suggestions now, and always, for recipes you'd like to see. Stay tuned for those.
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