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Splash it on! Tap your inner jazz musician and improvise when stirring up a vinaigrette By Judy Hevrdejs
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) It takes longer to spell vinaigrette than it does to make it. Vinegar. Oil. Salt. Pepper. Mix it up. Splash it on the season's first greens. Master this classic French dressing, and you'll understand why chefs call it one of the great sauces. Taste. Consider the elements of your salad. Adjust. Now improvise. Embellish it with herbs, spices, mustard or honey. Drizzle it on blanched asparagus, sliced tomatoes, grilled vegetables, fish or meat. "You should be looking at ingredients the way a musician looks at the keyboard," said chef and cookbook author
Pepin's easiest recipe? Simple? Versatile? You bet. And it can also cost less than bottled varieties. One cup of vinaigrette made at home with red wine vinegar and olive oil costs about The key to success: balancing the acid (vinegar or lemon juice, for example) and oil (olive, corn, etc.) to complement a salad's ingredients. Strong-flavored lettuces, pickled vegetables, delicate greens or subtle fruit—they each require a different balance of vinegar to oil.
• Oils range from mild vegetable to olive; go easy with intensely flavored seed (sesame) or nut (walnut, hazelnut) oils. • Match the dressing to the flavor and texture of greens — a delicate taste with tender greens ( • If a salad has strong acid elements (i.e., pickled vegetables), "I may just use olive oil and lemon juice because I don't want more acid," chef • When a salad is served after an entree such as roast chicken or beef, add a bit of the pan juices to the vinaigrette. • Use a fork, a whisk, a blender — or a clean screw-top jar. • Lettuce leaves should be dry so dressing clings to them.
BASIC VINAIGRETTE
Prep: 5 minutes
Adapted from the 12th edition of "The Fannie Farmer Cookbook" (first published in 1896).
Mix vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl; let stand a few minutes. Slowly stir or whisk in oil. Taste for acid and salt; add more if needed. Stir to blend before using, or store in a jar with a tight lid in refrigerator; shake well before using. Variations: Mustard French dressing: Add 1 to 11/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard to the vinegar. Blend. Proceed with recipe. French dressing with fresh herbs: Add 2 teaspoons fresh chopped herbs, such as basil, chervil or tarragon. Chiffonade dressing: Add 1 tablespoon minced parsley, 2 tablespoons minced sweet red pepper, 1 tablespoon minced onion, and 2 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped. Nutrition information: Per tablespoon: 120 calories, 100 percent of calories from fat, 14 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 146 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
PINEAPPLE-SESAME VINAIGRETTE
Prep: 5 minutes
One of cookbook author and chef Norman Van Aken's variations on the vinaigrette adds pineapple juice and sesame oil
Nutrition information Per tablespoon: 76 calories, 92 percent of calories from fat, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 64 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
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