Dressings for Life

When I was nine, I had to write a report on the Shoshone Native American tribe. If you grew up in the Golden State during the last twenty years and attended public school, you know the majority of the fourth grade is spent learning about settlers, the Gold Rush and, well, the Native Americans.

I’d known about this report and its due date for months, but chose to research, write and execute the entire project the day before it was to be turned in. My parents never questioned my work habits because I always finished on time and got great grades to boot; thus, when they saw me furiously scribbling into the wee hours of the morning, they assumed it was an extremely difficult project and not that their eldest child had completely mismanaged her time. I was exhausted the next day, but proud I was able to hand in the entire assignment while acknowledging it was some of my sloppier work.

Suffice it to say I was surprised a few days later when my teacher held up my report as one of the prime examples. My report and two other classmates’ were the “above and beyond” projects and had each received an A+.

I felt like a complete fraud.

Not that I brought that to anyone’s attention, of course.



Procrastination personified.



This is how I feel when people love my homemade salad dressing. It is so incredibly easy even my nine-year-old slacker self could have whipped up a batch, and with flourish.

It took a while to understand the inner workings of a delicious salad; that is to say, I was twenty-two when I mastered the art of making dressing. I had come to a point where I wanted to push the envelope on my cooking skills and create dishes I love, salad with French vinaigrette being one of them. I could never figure out how chefs and home cooks took oil and vinegar and whipped up something thick, rich and luscious. The answer, my dears, came with my comprehension of a word that I’m hoping will change your life as well: emulsion.

Most people know that oil and vinegar do not naturally mix; it takes whisking the two together to get them to combine. Essentially, when one adds oil to vinegar (slowly) while whipping it with a whisk or fork, the particles of the two break down and cling to each other, making a completely different mixture all together. Enough with the chemistry lesson though; my brain hurts.

With the addition of Dijon, salt and pepper, you have a true French vinaigrette and a delicious, go-to salad dressing for any occasion. 




The usual suspects (French, naturally).

 Once you know the basics, you can pretty much create any dressing in the world. This is not an exaggeration. Unfortunately, from this point out, the store bought variety is going to taste subpar… Sorry about that.



Possible future guest stars.

 Our dear friends the Brewers moved to northern California a month ago, and I promised Micaela (wife of Kyle) a selection of some of my favorite dressings. I’ve not only included the basic French vinaigrette that started my personal revolution, but one involving champagne vinegar, maple and shallots, as well as a tried and true jar dressing sure to impress all who try it. Usually, the recipes make more than necessary, but it’ll store beautifully in the refrigerator for one to two weeks before it is no longer edible.

Or you can eat it in one sitting… which you know I’m prone to do.

Happy Eating,

Elizabeth

French Vinaigrette

¼ cup vinegar (balsamic, white or red wine and champagne vinegar all work beautifully)

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (I LOVE Trader Joe’s version)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper (feel free to add a small pinch of sugar if you wish). 

Once combined, slowly add the oil in a drizzle, while constantly whisking the mixture. The more you whisk and the slower you pour will determine how quickly or slowly your dressing will start to separate back into oil and vinegar. 

Toss with mixed greens and any favorite accompaniments (I love this with goat cheese and walnuts). Make sure to add your dressing slowly to your salad while tossing the leaves, to thoroughly coat them, but not to the point of saturation. Also, if you want to make less dressing, but don't know the ratios, remember that vinaigrette's can be achieved with one part vinegar to three parts oil. 

Variations: Add any of the following to the mixture before adding the olive oil to get a different, but still delicious, dressing:

½ clove minced or smashed garlic

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

Chopped fresh herbs

One thinly sliced shallot

Mix all ingredients in a jam jar and shake to combine. Makes one cup of dressing.



Pre-shake



Post-shake


Farmer’s Market Salad Dressing
Courtesy of Gwyneth Paltrow for goop.com

1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoons real maple syrup

2 teaspoons champagne vinegar

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, whisk together the shallot, mustard, maple syrup and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season the dressing with salt and pepper.

Toss with salad greens and any favorite accompaniments (I love toasted pecans, blue cheese and Asian pears with this salad).

Cyndi’s Special Mexican Dressing

½ Canola oil

½ teaspoon celery seed

½ small white onion, grated

3 Tablespoon sugar

¼ cup white cider vinegar

½ teaspoon yellow mustard

½ teaspoon kosher salt