Vinaigrettes
Salad dressings and
vinaigrettes are terrific ways to use up little bits of
leftover pesto and tapenade. If you have a mini food
processor, it is fast to whip up dressings and cleaning the
device is a snap. That said, you can use a blender,
traditional food processor, jar with a lid, or a bowl and a
whisk.
We've all heard that old
saying about oil and vinegar not mixing. It should be
revised to say that oil and vinegar don't mix easily or even
oil and vinegar will only mix for a while. By adding an
emulsifier, such as mustard, to your dressing, the oil and
vinegar will blend together. Slowly drizzle the oil into
the vinegar and mustard while rapidly blending, and the
mixture will hold together for a while.
To make a classic
vinaigrette, blend 3 - 4 parts of good quality oil into 1
part vinegar or other acidic liquid such as citrus juice.
Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. >
The fun part comes with the variations. You can add minced
garlic as well as your choice of fresh or dried minced
herbs. Add a tablespoon of
Pesto or
Tapenade to
your blended vinaigrette for a chunky texture. Replace
all or part of the oil with your favorite
Bread Dipping Oil
or
Infused Oil.
The combinations are infinite.
Two of my favorites vinaigrettes are Fig Balsamic and
Cranberry Vinaigrette. The addition of a couple of
teaspoons of good quality Dijon mustard helps 'hold' these
vinaigrettes together. In other words, they won't
separate as quickly as just oil and vinegar. You can find
the recipes for both of these vinaigrettes in our
recipe section.
Classic
French Vinaigrette Recipe
2 tablespoons vinegar
(varietal wine or sherry works best)
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
6 tablespoons good quality olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
In a deep bowl or
blender/food processor, combine the vinegar, mustard, and a
pinch of sea salt and pepper. Whisk or pulse to blend
well. While continuing to blend, slowly add the oil in a
thin stream. To taste, dip a small piece of lettuce in the
dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste.
These proportions will
dress about 6 cups of loosely packed salad greens.
To dress the greens, add about
half of the dressing to the bottom of a large bowl.
Toss the greens into the vinaigrette. Clean hands work
well for tossing. Add additional dressing as needed,
without drowning the lettuce with dressing.