Not unlike most everyone’s my-way-or-the-highway way of hard-boiling eggs (as I found out a couple of weeks ago after a column on the same), most cooks have their favorite recipe for vinaigrette.
More to the point(s), most cooks have their favored ratio of vinegar to oil; their favorite type of oil or of vinegar (depending on each pantry’s hierarchy for either); their preferred method for combining all the ingredients; and — not the least — what flavorings they add to the vinaigrette to distinguish it.
I stand above the fray to note that, in truth, only one thing matters in how you (letap use the correct word) perform your vinaigrette and that it contain some sort of emulsifier: mustard, mayonnaise or honey being the top three. (Egg yolk is the fourth, although in its raw state may pose a health risk to some.)
Without an emulsifier, any vinaigrette risks “breaking” (or separating into its constituent parts) straight away; which means that to avoid disintegration and the harm that it brings (pooling vinegar and separated-out oil that breaks down greens), you’d need to consume the salad immediately.
And that only works if you eat at the trough.
Fool-Proof Vinaigrette
From Cook’s Illustrated magazine, and America’s Test Kitchen; makes 1/4 cup, enough to dress 8-10 cups lightly packed greens
Red wine, white wine, or champagne vinegar will work in this recipe. It is important to use high-quality ingredients. This vinaigrette works with nearly any type of green. For a hint of garlic flavor, rub the inside of the salad bowl with a clove of garlic before adding the lettuce.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced shallot
- 1/2 teaspoon regular or light mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Combine vinegar, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste in small nonreactive bowl. Whisk until mixture is milky in appearance and no lumps of mayonnaise remain.
Place oil in small measuring cup so that it is easy to pour. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle oil into vinegar mixture. If pools of oil are gathering on surface as you whisk, stop addition of oil and whisk mixture well to combine, then resume whisking in oil in slow stream. Vinaigrette should be glossy and lightly thickened, with no pools of oil on its surface. (Vinaigrette may be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)
Contact Bill St John at bsjpost@gmail.com
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