Everything You Need to Know About Vinaigrettes!

 

If you are like us you love a delicious, fresh vinaigrette dressing for your salad!  The pleasant texture of high-quality olive oil, the crisp bite of a flavorful vinegar, the subtle flavors added together…what’s not to love?

Did you know vinaigrettes are super easy to whip-up yourself and offer an endless variety of flavor options?

WHY MAKE MY OWN VINAIGRETTE?

• You control all the ingredients
• You control the flavor
• Less expensive
• Fresh made always tastes better

HOW DO I MAKE ONE?

Vinaigrettes are a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of oil to vinegar.  That means you have to put 2-3 times as much oil as vinegar.  On top of that, you can add seasonings such as, salt, pepper and garlic.  Fresh fruit (especially berries, apples and pears!) and/or fresh herbs make this dressing unique with each batch.  Blend all ingredients together and your salad is ready to shine!

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE BEST TO USE?

Now that you know your rations, let’s talk about the ingredients.  First off, your olive oil should be high-quality olive oil.  Most Extra Virgin Olive Oil works great, but the best test is to ask yourself if you would eat this oil on its own (i.e. dipping an amazing piece of crusty Italian bread into it…who doesn’t love that???)?  If yes, then it is a good choice…if not, choose a better brand of EVOO.  As a side note, while other types of oils will work in this dressing, they won’t taste as good or provide as many health benefits as olive oil.

For the vinegar you can use a variety, but it all depends on what flavor profile you are going for.  Want a light strawberry vinaigrette for your summer spinach salad with sliced strawberries and candied cashews?  Try a white wine vinegar or even a nice champagne vinegar.  Want something to play nice with some fresh thyme and have a bold taste to go with your tomatoes and chunks of buffalo mozzarella?  Try balsamic vinegar.  How about those plums you picked form the back yard?  Try them with a red wine vinegar or pomegranate vinegar.  And that can of mandarin oranges?  Blend them in with some green onions and rice wine vinegar for an amazing dressing for your Asian chicken salad (toss it with some shredded cabbage , carrots and leftover cold chicken).

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO BLEND IT ALL TOGETHER?

A stick blender or bullet style blender is great for small or large quantities.  A regular blender often needs a larger quantity to work well.  A few pulses is often all it takes to get everything smooth and then pulse a few more times to help emulsify the oil and vinegar together (see sidebar on emulsification).

 

Emulsify:

In cooking, to emulsify, is to combine two ingredients that don’t normally mix, like oil and water, or in this case oil and vinegar.  Traditionally, you would pour the oil into the vinegar little by little while whisking it as fast as you could, thus breaking the oil and vinegar up into tiny droplets that will stay suspend alongside each other in the overall mixture.

These days, a handy powered mixing device works much faster and easier and makes emulsified dressings that stay emulsified much better.

You are welcome to do it the old fashioned way, but using a blending device will take care of all the steps of mixing, emulsifying and pureeing your other ingredients all at once.

You are an IDW, work smarter, not harder!

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE RECIPES:

Strawberry Honey Vinaigrette

• 1 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 C White Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 C strawberries (washed and stems removed)
• 1 tsp honey
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic
• Pinch of salt
• Pepper to taste

 

Classic Italian Herb Vinaigrette

• 1 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 C Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic
• 2 Tbsp dry or fresh Italian herbs (if fresh only use the leaves)
• Pinch of salt
• Pepper to taste

Spicy Apple Champagne Vinaigrette

• 1 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 C Champagne Vinegar
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/2 medium apple, washed and core removed
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more, depending on desired level of spicy)
• Pinch of salt
• Pepper to taste

Let us know what you think of our recipes and please share your own!

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