How to Make a Quick Vinaigrette

Published on Monday, August 16, 2010, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

How to Make a Quick Vinaigrette

David Myers of Sona Restaurant makes his dressing right in the bowl with his greens.

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POST A COMMENT |9 Comments

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  • nice dressing... but NOT a vinaigrette. Yes, the lemon is the acid... but vinaigrette is a sauce made with... vinegar! Picky, I know, but that's like saying cookies with peanut butter chips are chocolate chip cookies. They're NOT.

  • I play around with them. Right now I'm using Olio Santo, a fairly expensive ($15 for 500 mL) California oil that I got at Wegman's. It's pretty tasty. I had never tried a California oil before, but I like this one a lot.

    Kirkland is my cooking olive oil most of the time. Even though I'm a single guy (although I cook with my girlfriend a lot) I can go through one of those big bottles in about 4...+READ

    I play around with them. Right now I'm using Olio Santo, a fairly expensive ($15 for 500 mL) California oil that I got at Wegman's. It's pretty tasty. I had never tried a California oil before, but I like this one a lot.

    Kirkland is my cooking olive oil most of the time. Even though I'm a single guy (although I cook with my girlfriend a lot) I can go through one of those big bottles in about 4 or five months.-COLLAPSE

  • Love Costco! (Not quite as much as shallots.) Good goat cheese if you are a fan. I keep two olive oils on the counter - one for dressings and one for cooking, when I want a milder flavor. Williams-Sonoma has the Pink Salt (not fond of the red or other colors). I go to the outlet store. Cooking has been on the back burner with graduation, finals, etc... Next week the house will be calmer and I can...+READ

    Love Costco! (Not quite as much as shallots.) Good goat cheese if you are a fan. I keep two olive oils on the counter - one for dressings and one for cooking, when I want a milder flavor. Williams-Sonoma has the Pink Salt (not fond of the red or other colors). I go to the outlet store. Cooking has been on the back burner with graduation, finals, etc... Next week the house will be calmer and I can get back to making fun stuff. The kids will be home to help more. What olive oil do you use?-COLLAPSE

  • It was amazing with the shallots. They really elevated it from being pretty good to being great -- I made it for my girlfriend and myself and I kept grabbing more than my share.

    I also used a much better olive oil -- the first time I had used Kirkland (Costco brand) which is a great everyday olive oil but not really suited for a salad where the flavor is front and center. This will be my main...+READ

    It was amazing with the shallots. They really elevated it from being pretty good to being great -- I made it for my girlfriend and myself and I kept grabbing more than my share.

    I also used a much better olive oil -- the first time I had used Kirkland (Costco brand) which is a great everyday olive oil but not really suited for a salad where the flavor is front and center. This will be my main salad dressing for a while. I have never used pink salt, but it's worth a try.-COLLAPSE

  • How was it with the shallots? Have you ever tried pink salt? I know it's a finishing salt. I use it just before serving sauteed vegetables and admit to loving it in eggs - and I'm not a big salt user. I wonder how it would be in this type of dressing since it is being eaten right away and not sitting around?

  • I tried this tonight, only like an idiot I forgot the shallots. So it was just sea salt, lemon and olive oil with red leaf lettuce and some cherry tomatoes (the only kind I can buy right now). It was very tasty, if very simple. I can see where experiementing with different olive oils and lettuces coupld lead to quite a few interesting combos.

    I'll try ti again tomorrow with the shallots.

  • Thank you JonParker! Fascinating! I've been making vinaigrettes for so long and only know am I understanding the "why" of the ingredients. I've used dijon thinking it was for flavor and not understanding the chemistry. I see the playfulness of making the dressing by using lemon juice. Vinaigrettes are taking on a whole new life. Thanks so much - and here's to shallots!

  • samsaulavi, in this recipe the lemon serves as the acid rather than vinegar. I would think you could also drizzle in vinegar (maybe a good red wine vinegar) instead of the lemon and still have it work.

    If you're mixing it outside the bowl, some dijon mustard can help emulsify the dressing. By mixing in the bowl and eating right away as he does here, I don't think it would have much chance to...+READ

    samsaulavi, in this recipe the lemon serves as the acid rather than vinegar. I would think you could also drizzle in vinegar (maybe a good red wine vinegar) instead of the lemon and still have it work.

    If you're mixing it outside the bowl, some dijon mustard can help emulsify the dressing. By mixing in the bowl and eating right away as he does here, I don't think it would have much chance to separate.

    Love the shallots though.-COLLAPSE

  • What is the origin of a vinaigrette? Is is supposed to have vinegar of some sort? I like the idea of making it in the bowl and I love shallots, but I'm curious about the vinegar. Thanks.