Vinaigrette

photo: Eric Diesel

To almost anyone who grew up in a tract house, “French dressing” is that red-orange drizzle we found on our stack of iceberg lettuce as part of the midweek supper spread. French dressing was called that because a marketer somewhere wanted us – inaccurately, it must be stated -- to associate this somewhat spicy tomato-based mixture with French cooking. This was because, due in no small part to the efforts of The French Chef and The Galloping Gourmet to educate the American palate, French cooking was associated – correctly, it must be noted – with good eating. Putting an interpretation of that into a bottle that mom could pick up at the supermarket was a distinctly American spin, but only le bon Dieu, perhaps in collusion with some food chemists, knows the genesis of the concoction itself.

For the lucky ones who had a parent who practiced in their kitchen what they learned from the local public television station, the lettuce may have been a more assertive field green and the “French dressing” may have been an actual vinaigrette. Unlike the salad bar staple, basic “French” dressing for greens is vinaigrette, a pas de deux between sour and savory flavors dancing in concert with a velvety texture. The encyclopedic section on les sauces (subsection huile et vinaigre) of the mammoth undertaking that is Mastering the Art of French Cooking leads directly with sauce vinaigrette, including a direct, even schoolmarmish, definition of what French dressing for salad is and isn't. At least one cornerstone of American cooking -- Fannie Farmer -- got the message. The very first recipe in the Salad Dressings section of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook is "French Dressing or Basic Vinaigrette." Neither it nor the variations that follow are spicy or red, though one suspects that an investigation commencing with Chiffonade Dressing, which incorporates sweet red pepper into the basic vinaigrette, might eventually lead to the plastic bottle.

In French cooking, executing simple preparations is a test of a cook’s facility in the kitchen. Vinaigrette is the essence of elegance, in which a well-balanced suspension – fragrant with herbs and shallots, spritely with vinegar, touched with Dijon mustard and emulsed with good olive oil -- provides context for the lively quality of fresh greens, just as a frame surrounds a painting. In honor of Bastille Day, here is a foolproof recipe for vinaigrette. Serve it with a toss of good greens, to accompany weeknight dinners from beef to chicken or weekend brunches from eggs to sandwiches. Like all French cooking, a good vinaigrette is an example of good ingredients thoughtfully prepared. Try it once and you will always think about, and act upon, French dressing beyond the bottle.

VINAIGRETTE

Like most salad dressings, this vinaigrette will taste more assertive when you’re testing it that it will when it’s dressing greens.

1 medium shallot
2-1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 – 3 stems fresh thyme, rosemary or savory, or a combination of the three
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Remove the root and stem ends of the shallot; remove the papery outer skin. Halve the shallot from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents and then cut across the crescents to form tiny dice.

2. Scrape the minced shallot into a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and several grindings of fresh black pepper.

3. Measure the vinegar into the bowl containing the salted shallot. Swirl the ingredients together.

4. Hold the herbs over the bowl containing the vinegar and shallots. Strip the herbs into the bowl by running your fingers down the stalk of the herb in the opposite direction of the growth of the leaves.

5. Set the bowl aside so that the shallots can soften while the herbs infuse the vinegar, a minimum of 10 minutes.

6. Before serving, measure the Dijon mustard into the vinegar mixture; use a small whisk to blend until smooth.

7. Measure the olive oil into a cup or small spouted bowl. Hold the cup/bowl high over the bowl containing the vinegar mixture. Use one hand to pour the olive oil into the vinegar mixture while using the other hand to whisk the oil into the vinegar mixture, until a smooth emulsion forms.

8. Dress the greens with the vinaigrette. Serve the salad immediately.