Vinaigrette - Always Better than Store Bought

Its amazing to read sometimes what culinary authors define as simple. Richard Olney, in his book Simple French Food, describes a fish terrine as "uncomplicated and undemanding" despite an ingredient list that includes a fish fumet, forcemeat, duxelles, panade, fish jelly, and whipped tomato cream using preserved tomatoes, no less.

But there are some food items that are always worth making from scratch, both because they are legitimately easy and because the home variety is so much better than store bought. One example is vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette is a simple mixture of three components - oil, (olive, canola), an acidic liquid (vinegar, citrus juice), and seasonings (salt, mustard). It requires minimal equipment to make; you use either a small bowl or whisk, or a jar with a lid on it. You can use a wide variety of oils, liquids, and seasonings.

The alternative to vinaigrette bottled salad dressing pales in comparison. Theres no flexibility to match the ingredients in the vinaigrette to the base dish. You can't adjust for personal taste - one bottle fits all. Finally, with bottled dressing you're paying money for often inferior ingredients. Since vinaigrettes are used so miserly, splurging on expensive oils, vinegars, etc. can be regarded as frugal.

Culinary science defines a vinaigrette as a temporary emulsion, i.e. a forced combination of two elements - oil and water - that normally hate each other, (vinegar and fruit juices are largely water). To get these two opponents to become affectionate, you need mechanical action, like whisking or shaking, plus an emulsifying agent. The acidity in vinegar or citrus juice helps emulsify, but for more stability use additional emulsifying agents that also add flavor, e.g. mustard, onions, garlic.

Once you understand the basic science, making vinaigrette is simple. In a small bowl or jar, add vinegar or fruit juice or even water or bouillon. Add salt and pepper - it is important to add the salt now, as salt will dissolve in acid but not in oil. Add any additional flavorings like garlic or mustard. You can then add the oil slowly to the bowl while whisking vigorously, or add the oil all at once into the jar and then shake, with the cap tightly closed. For the most stable dressing possible, use cold ingredients.

The two variables that make vinaigrette so adaptive are ingredients and the proportions of those ingredients. The most important ingredient, due to its larger volume, is the oil. The major factor in choosing an oil is taste. Its hard to go wrong with extra virgin olive oil, but sometimes neutral oils like canola or safflower will let other flavors prevail. These oils are also more economical, especially when the taste of extra virgin olive oil would be overwhelmed. Nut oils, like peanut or walnut, can add interesting flavor.

The acidic ingredient can be selected from flavored or unflavored vinegars, which range in acidity from rice wine vinegar (4% acetic acid) to cider vinegar (5%) to the wine vinegars (6%) to sherry vinegar (7.5%). Sherry vinegar is especially nice as it has a rich body and a slightly sweet aftertaste. Balsamic vinegar can also provide body and a hint of sweetness, (to perk up less expensive balsamic vinegar, try adding a touch of dark brown sugar).  About the only vinegar that isn't appropriate for vinaigrette is distilled white vinegar, which tastes of grain alcohol. Alternatives to vinegar include not only lemon juice, but also almost any fruit juice as well as bouillon or even water, (try mango juice).

Seasonings always include salt and pepper, but then there are a lot of options. Finely chopped garlic, shallots, scallions or Dijon mustard are the most common additives, along with almost any herb. Infuse the seasonings in the vinegar or juice before adding the oil. Some classic combinations for soft greens (iceburg, butter, romaine lettuces) include a white wine vinegar or citrus juice with chervil, marjoram, parsley and grated cheese. For strong greens (e.g. arugula, watercress, endive, chicory) try a red wine or sherry vinegar with cilantro or tarragon and mustard. For vegetables, use a rice wine or sherry vinegar with basil, mint, oregano or thyme. With fish, use lemon juice and dill, fennel, or ginger. On meat, use a red wine or sherry vinegar with rosemary or tarragon and garlic and mustard.

Once youv'e chosen the ingredients, proportions are also strictly up to you. People have varying preferences for acidity or for certain herbs. A 3:1 oil to acid ratio is a guideline most commonly cited, but experiment to find your preferences.  It is useful to remember that the higher the acid, the more salt will be required. Also, when calculating your acid to oil ratio, remember that mustard itself is acidic.

Finally, here are a couple of final tips on using vinaigrette. First, if possible, make it about an hour ahead of time, as this will let the flavors meld. But always add the dressing at the last moment to any food like lettuce that wilts. Also, the base food should be as dry as possible as water repels the dressing and it won't stick. Add just enough to make each leaf glisten, (your hands make the best salad tongs). A beginning rule of thumb is ½ cup vinaigrette: 1 quart of greens. Vinaigrette can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks; it will solidify but just bring it up to room temperature and shake.

To start, here is a classic vinaigrette recipe:

In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add 1 T minced shallots, 2 tsp. Dijon style mustard, 2 T sherry wine vinegar, ½ t of salt (or more to taste), ¼ t of pepper. Shake vigorously until the salt is dissolved. Add ½ cup of good tasting olive oil and shake. Good luck from here!