Skip to main content

Salad dressings. The Alice Waters approach

My good friend Suzy asked me what salad dressing I made when I was in LA ... to be honest a combination of age and alcohol means that I can't remember. However here is one of my favourite sources of inspiration for simple basics like this.
Alice Waters: her book, “The Art of Simple Cooking,” explains why simple food is often the best.
This is her simple approach to salad making.
I think that the really clever (and new to me) bit is the combining of the salt with the vinegar before adding the oil....it really does work
I usually use lemon juice rather than vinegar but its up to you
My only other tip would be to put the dressing in the bottom of the bowl you are serving in and then put the leaves on top an turn gently with your hands until all the leaves are lightly covered rather than pouring the dressing over the leaves after they are in the bowl.


Vinaigrette


This is the sauce I make most often, and if it’s made out of good olive oil and good wine vinegar, it’s the best salad dressing I can imagine. At its simplest, vinaigrette is a mixture of vinegar and oil in a ratio of 1 part vinegar to about 3 or 4 parts oil. Start by estimating roughly how much vinaigrette you will need. This depends on what you’re using it for; a quarter cup is more than enough for four servings of green salad, for example, but you really never need to measure out exact amounts. Start by pouring the vinegar into a bowl. Dissolve a pinch of salt in it and taste for balance. The salt has a real relationship with the vinegar. When you add just enough salt, it subdues the acid of the vinegar and brings it into a wonderful balance. Try adding salt bit by bit and tasting to see what happens. How much salt is too much? How much is too little? What tastes best? If you add too much salt, just add a touch more vinegar.

Grind in some black pepper and whisk in the oil. The vinaigrette should taste brightly balanced, neither too oily nor overly acidic. Adjust the sauce, adding more vinegar if you’ve added too much oil, and more salt, if it needs it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt
• Fresh-ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


DIRECTIONS

Pour red wine vinegar into a small bowl.

Add the salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

Stir to dissolve the salt, taste, and adjust if needed. Use a fork or small whisk to beat in the extra-virgin olive oil, a little at a time.

Taste as you go and stop when it tastes right.

TIPS

For variations:

* Add a little puréed garlic or diced shallot, or both, to the vinegar.
* White wine vinegar, sherry vinegar or lemon juice can replace some or all of the red wine vinegar.
* Beat in a little dijon mustard before you start adding the oil.
* For part of the olive oil, substitute a very fresh nut oil, such as walnut or hazelnut.
* Heavy cream or crème fraîche can replace some or all the olive oil.(not sure about this one BC)
* Chop some fresh herbs and stir them into the finished vinaigrette

Comments

Anonymous said…
I passed this onto Beverley and but she's not so sure she'll find the "exact" recipe you used that night! Alcohol - Chez Nous???? Surely not! Wasn't the only bottle consumed the one that was pictured on your head later that night!

Popular posts from this blog

Crack potatoes courtesy of Ottolenghi. Harissa and confit garlic roast potatoes

Another recipe from Ottolenghi's Simple, another recommendation from Will Saunders.   I know its the middle of summer but who doesn't love a roastie? These little tinkers are so good that they are like crack, class A calories. The clever bit is the addition of semolina and caraway seeds which adds a new level of crunchiness to add to the delicious warm heat of Harissa. Heres the recipe These make a lovely, spicy change from the traditional Sunday roasties. They’re especially good with spiced roast meat. Serves six to eight. 2 large heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled 130g goose or duck fat 4 sprigs fresh rosemary  6 sprigs fresh thyme  2kg maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks 40g ground semolina 2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed 2 tbsp rose harissa Flaky sea salt Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Put the garlic, fat and herbs in a small ovenproof pan or saucepan for which you have a lid. Cover and roast for 40 minut

Nigel Slaters deceptively brilliant monkfish

Lisa discovered this recipe in her favourite Nigel book. It is one of those fish, 'but not as we know it Jim' recipes. Not just because Monkfish is the fish that can best impersonate meat but also because of the marinade ingredients that are more often featured with lamb. It's not difficult to do but the flavour is a revelation, which makes it a perfect recipe in my book. This can be cooked on a grill pan or a barbecue. Ingredients 3 bushy sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped 4 anchovy fillets 2 large cloves garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large lemon, juice only 3 tbsp olive oil 800g/1½lb monkfish fillet Method Pull the leaves from the rosemary stalks and chop them finely, then tip them into a bowl large enough to take the fish. Rinse the anchovy fillets and smash them to a rough pulp with the flat edge of your chopping knife. Peel the garlic, crush it flat, then smash it to a purée in the same way. Stir together the herb, anchovy and garlic, adding a grind

Sea Bass on mushroom potatoes with salsa Verde

I felt the overwhelming need to cook something new on Saturday night. I didn't want the tired and tested I wanted to explore new culinary waters. However combined with this desire was an equal and opposing force, driven by being absolutely knackered, that meant it had to be simple too. I returned to one of Jamie's early books, to a recipe that IO had meant to do on countless occasions but never quite got round to. I have done several versions of Sea Bass on a bed of potatoes, some that I have written about on this blog. The one question I would have is about the thickness of the potatoes and the length of time they need to be cooked through ... in my oven I reckon they need about 10 minutes more than the recipe suggests. I would suggest a bit of a trial run if you are going to do it for a dinner party ... however once you have given it a whirl I think this makes for a very easy recipe for a crowd. Here's the recipe. Roasted slashed fillet of sea bass stuffed with herbs, bak