on Jun 21st, 2007Two basic vinaigrettes
I love this quote from Julia Child, in Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom:
The perfect vinaigrette is so easy to make that I see no reason whatsoever for bottled dressing.
Neither do I. Not only does home-made vinaigrette taste so much better, it eliminates the chemicals and high fructose corn syrup in most bottled dressings. (Corn syrup is so prevalent in our processed foods that the annual per capita consumption of corn sweeteners in 2003 was 79 pounds, according to the USDA. That’s a 400% increase from 1970.)
Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom is full of master recipes, building blocks such as this one, and variations. Even though she and Jacques Pépin were great friends, they often had different approaches to the same end and his master recipe is the other one here. I prefer his; she liked a less-acidic vinaigrette. And who but Julia would have compared her proportions of oil and vinegar to the proportions of a very dry martini?
Julia Child’s Basic Vinaigrette
1/2 tablespoon finely minced shallot or scallion
1/2 tablespoon Dijon-type mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup excellent olive oil, or other fine, fresh oil
Freshly ground pepper
Either shake all the ingredients together in a screw-topped jar, or mix them individually as follows. Stir the shallots or scallions together with the mustard and salt. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar, and when well blended start whisking in the oil by droplets to form a smooth emulsion. Beat in freshly ground pepper. Taste (dip a piece of the salad greens into the sauce) and correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and/or drops of lemon juice.
Yield: For about 2/3 cup, serving 6 to 8
Jacques Pépin’s Basic Vinaigrette
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and finely chopped (1 tsp)
2 TB red wine vinegar
4 TB extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
Mix or shake as above.
Yield: Serves 4
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