Vinaigrette, the House One
Every kitchen should have one dressing it can make without looking, and this is it: shallot, red wine vinegar, salt, Dijon, olive oil and pepper, shaken in a jar in five minutes of work. It follows the classic ratio in the vinaigrette ratio guide, which builds twelve more dressings on the same base. The technique is mostly the order. Salt goes into the vinegar, because it dissolves in the vinegar and not in the oil. The minced shallot sits in that salted vinegar for ten minutes, long enough to take the edge off its raw bite. The mustard goes in before the oil because it holds the dressing together, as the emulsion guide explains. The oil comes last, three parts to the vinegar's one. Shaken hard, the two separate layers become one thick, opaque, pale gold dressing that coats a leaf and stays there.
Ingredients
Makes a scant cup, eight servings, enough for four or five big salads for four. It doubles cleanly.
- 1 small shallot, minced very fine (about 2 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
- 9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
The oil is most of the dressing, so its flavor comes through. Use one that tastes good on a spoon, such as Capezzana extra virgin (shop Capezzana extra virgin); the olive oil buying guide covers how to choose. The honey is there to round off the vinegar's edge, not to sweeten it. A mild clover honey (shop clover honey) disappears into the dressing. The pepper should be freshly cracked, from whole peppercorns such as Zanzibar black (shop Zanzibar black).
Method
- Soak the shallot. Put the shallot, vinegar and salt in a jar with a tight lid, or a small bowl, and stir. Let it stand for ten minutes. The salt dissolves completely, and the shallot softens and loses the worst of its raw edge.
- Add the mustard. Add the Dijon and the honey, if using, and stir or whisk until the vinegar is smooth and cloudy with mustard. The mustard needs to be in the vinegar before the oil arrives.
- Add the oil. In a bowl, whisk constantly while pouring the oil in a thin stream. In a jar, pour in all the oil, close the lid and shake hard for about twenty seconds. The dressing is done when it is thick, opaque and pale gold, with no clear oil on top.
- Taste on a leaf. Grind in pepper. Dip a leaf of the greens you will dress, not a spoon, and taste. It should taste slightly too strong on its own, because the greens will soften it. Add a pinch of salt if it tastes flat, or a few drops of vinegar if it tastes oily.
- Dress at the last minute. Put dry greens in a wide bowl, add a spoonful of dressing, and toss with your hands or two spoons. Keep adding a little at a time until every leaf shines and nothing pools at the bottom. Two to three tablespoons dress a big bowl for four.
- Keep the rest cold, for four days. Close the jar and refrigerate it. Use it within four days. That is the limit Oregon State University Extension gives for fresh vegetables and garlic kept in oil at home, and the shallot makes it the safe rule here. The olive oil thickens in the cold, so let the jar stand on the counter for a few minutes and shake it again before using.
Why it went wrong
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Separates within a minute | No mustard, or the mustard went in after the oil | Whisk a teaspoon of mustard into a spoon of vinegar in a clean bowl, then whisk the broken dressing into it slowly |
| Gritty, or salty in patches | The salt went in with the oil and never dissolved | Salt the vinegar first and give it the ten minutes |
| Harsh, raw onion bite | The shallot skipped the soak, or was cut too coarse | Mince finer; soak in the salted vinegar ten minutes before anything else |
| Oily, slick, dull | Too much oil for the vinegar, or a flat oil | A few drops of vinegar and a pinch of salt; next time, measure 3 to 1 |
| Sharp enough to cough | Too much vinegar, or a very strong one | More oil a spoon at a time, or the teaspoon of honey |
| Salad soggy and heavy | Wet greens, too much dressing, or dressed too early | Dry the leaves completely; add the dressing a spoon at a time, just before serving |
Notes and variations
The ratio moves. Three parts oil to one of vinegar is where to start. With a milder acid such as lemon juice, two to one works. With a fierce, sharp vinegar, go up to four to one. Lemon juice can stand in for up to half the vinegar.
Other vinegars. Sherry vinegar makes a nuttier, drier house dressing. Half balsamic suits tomatoes, and a condiment-grade balsamic such as Cavalli Classico (shop Cavalli Classico) works for it. The vinegar comparison covers which vinegar goes with what.
Additions. Half a small clove of garlic, grated, can go in with the shallot, and the same four-day refrigerator rule applies. Chopped chives, tarragon or chervil go in at the last minute, not into the jar you keep. Grainy mustard in place of smooth gives a looser dressing with pops of seed; the Dijon guide covers the difference.
In Denver, nothing needs adjusting. The dressing never sees heat, so the altitude rules for boiling and baking in the altitude guide do not apply.
The olive oil, balsamic, honey and peppercorns are in the shop in Cherry Creek, Denver, and ship nationwide from theambrosianpantry.com. The vinegar guide is the place to start when choosing a second bottle.
Sources & Further Reading
- Emulsifying properties of water soluble yellow mustard mucilage: A comparative study with gum Arabic and citrus pectin, Food Hydrocolloids
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Vegetables in Oil
- The Pantry Dispatch: Emulsions, Why Mustard Holds a Vinaigrette Together
- The Pantry Dispatch: The Vinaigrette Ratio and Twelve Dressings from the Shelf
