Salad Dressings

By: Carl Hanson

Dressed for Success

VinaiGreat!

Vinaigrettes can be as basic as mixing together oil, vinegar and salt. From there, build flavor with herbs, spices, shallots and garlic. Play with oils and vinegars, too: olive, walnut, peanut or hazelnut oils; and balsamic, Champagne, and sherry vinegars or citrus juice.

Dreamy Creamy Dressings

Creamy dressings deliver a lush mouth-feel. From a base of sour cream, buttermilk, cream, yogurt or mayonnaise, creamy dressings are constructed with herbs, spices, shallots, and garlic. Cheese, pickles, chili sauce and other ingredients can add big flavor.

Dressing Up

Daring to range beyond what the name implies, salad dressings often make marvelous marinades and dipping sauces. Oil and vinegar dressings are popular for marinating meats, but don't overlook dairy-based dressings: the gentle acids in dairy tenderize meats slowly.

Comments

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lara s.j

Jun. 28, 2009 1:27 pm

thank you for showing how to make salad dressing i love homemade better now i can make it at home the best of luck

Cati

Jul. 9, 2009 12:05 am

Please, just let me know how could I get a nice dressing for our salad we eat together my husband and I every night. We want to get on diet but we find out if we take the mediterranean dressing of vinager and oil it taste boring. How to make our salad not a bomb of calories???

Belle Woods

Jul. 16, 2009 9:26 pm

I would like to know if someone has a recipe that would be close to the old "Miracle French" dressing that was made by Kraft. I loved that dressing, and either they quit making it or it isn't available in my area. I think it would be great to be able to make it myself. I contacted Kraft, but got no response and I don't find it on their website.Can anyone help?

ellenmoriah

Jul. 23, 2009 4:53 am

Cati, try this: 1/4 c. extra virgin (first cold pressed) olive oil 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil 1/8 c. rice or white wine vinegar 1 tsp. dijon mustard 1/2 tsp. Stevia (natural sweetener) Put all ingredients in a jar and shake until well mixed. Adjust flavors to suit your taste and the contents of your salad. Pour half the amount of dressing you think you'll need onto the salad and toss well (for 3-5 minutes). You'll find that the more you toss, the less dressing you need.

KELARJIAN

Jul. 25, 2009 4:13 pm

For Cati: Take use a good hardwood salad bowl. Take a peeled garlic clove. You might mince it first. Add a few pinches Kosher salt. Mash together with (add some dried basil and/or oregano unless using fresh then add before serving)the back of a spoon until paste like. Add either fresh lemon juice or a good wine vinegar. Then wisk in a good extra virgin olive oil. Taste frequently until right mix is obatained. Add fresh, course cracked pepper corns to salad before serving. This is as basic a vinnegarette as possible. My bride jokes she married me for my salad. Actually taught to me by my gifted Mother. You may experiment with asstringents and herbs and spice. A good dijon mustard is a plus. You can mix this with a bit of mayo, fresh grated parmesan and anchovies for a "mock Ceasar". I hope you'll try this and have a wonderful family tradition as do we. Good Luck, Joe

DCGOURMET

Sep. 20, 2009 5:19 pm

Hi Cati: Just read our request - I have a suggestion - there are great books out there such as "The Best 50 Salad Dressings" (buy them inexpensively on Amazon). More importantly, since I am a chef who caters to those who are health and weight challenged I will say to you the same thing I tell my clients - do not go "fat free", low-fat, etc. Better: Make you own (less preservatives) and put it in a small one ounce container and dip your greens into it. Try it, you might like it. Good luck with renovating your eating habits. Chef Diane

Jan

Jan. 2, 2010 2:14 am

Can anyone tell me if they know how to make a good Sweet Italian drssing? Thanks

minasky

Jan. 7, 2010 3:23 pm

Just trying my luck if anyone can come closer to the Chilli's Restaurant Chicken Salad Dressing Recipe.

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