The Basics: Oil & Acid
Essentially the DNA of a vinaigrette is a combination of oil with some sort of acid. Some standard ratios
would be 75% oil and 25% acid. Or 80% oil 20% acid. You don’t need to be super exact with these
ratios, and tailor them freely to suit your tastes.
Common Oils:
Olive Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Vegetable Oil
Common Acids:
Lemon Juice
Vinegars (white wine, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, or Honey Vinegar from our market!)
Other Citrus (grapefruit, orange, etc.)
Next Level(s):
Emulsifier
Just as oil and water don’t mix, same is true with oil and vinegar. When we shake up oil and acid in a jar,
or with whisk, we are actually just dividing the acids into tiny droplets, so they can hang out together, but
to really get a mix of the two you need the help of an emulsifier. The most common of these is mustard.
Using something nice! A Dijon or whole grain mustard. As little as 7% of your total dressing is all you
need to make it work it’s emulsification magic. So in a dressing that’s one tablespoon of acid, and the 3
tablespoons of oil, one teaspoon of mustard would equal about 7% of the ratio. Start there and let your
taste be your guide, and add more as you see fit.
Alliums
Alliums like garlic, shallot, and spring alliums like green onions and green garlic can give you big flavor
boost. Finely chop shallot, green onions or garlic. Garlic is also great ground into a paste with a mortar
and pestle or ground on the cutting board with the side of your knife. Use a little coarse salt for additional
flavor and to help the grinding process.
Herbs & Other Flavorings.
Add a little chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary), or even a source of sweetness like honey to add
another flavor level. No real hard and fast rules on how much to add. The only real axiom to remember
is that it’s easy to add more, and kind of impossible to remove it once it there!
If you have questions feel free contact me!
Steve Terrill
Red Chair Dinners
redchairdinners@gmail.com
http://redchairdinners.tumblr.com