Favorite Salad Dressing Recipe [Recipes]

2008 Feb 27
I've been eating a lot of salads lately, and have a taste for the expensive dressings it seems. I'd much rather make my own but have never done this.

So, who has something that's easy and yummy?

I'm currently into a Roasted Red Pepper one, but I'll take anything.

2008 Feb 27
For a simple vinaigrette, I use Thomas Keller's super easy recipe from his Bouchon cookbook.

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups canola oil

Combine the mustard and vinegar in a blender and blend at medium speed for about 15 seconds. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of the oil. Don't be tempted to add all the oil to the blender or the vinaigrette will become too thick. It should be very creamy. Transfer the vinaigrette to a small bowl and, whisking constantly, slowly stream in the remaining 1 cup oil.

2008 Feb 27
My favourite is just a plain old vinaigrette with two parts olive oil and one part lemon juice. If I have a seafood salad I substitute the lemon juice with lime juice. (No particular reason - just trying to get a little variety...) I also use vinegars but am hooked on balsamic these days. The combination is the same as above - two parts olive oil to one part balsamic. Aceto Belei is a nice balsamic and you can get it at the Bagel Shop. It's nice on a spinach salad with beets and feta.

2008 Feb 27
I have a couple for you:

Roasted Tomato Pesto Dressing

No formal recipe, I just throw these ingredients (to taste) in a jar and shake the heck out of it:
• Olive oil
• Roasted tomato pesto
• Lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Grilled Tomato Vinaigrette

Lots of ingredients but easy to make.

• 3 roma (plum) tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven broiler and place halved tomatoes on a sheet pan 6 inches from the broiler. Broil skin side up until the skin is wrinkled and partially blackened.
2. Place the tomatoes in a food processor and add the tomato paste, garlic, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mustard and honey. Blend until smooth. With the processor running, add the olive oil and vegetable oil in a thin steady stream. Season with salt and pepper.

Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing

• 1 garlic clove
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup salad oil

Put first 5 ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth, slowly adding oil. Chill about 2 hours.

Cheddar Cheese Dressing

Makes a good veggy dip too!

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. horseradish
• 1/2 cup salad oil
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cup salad oil
• 1/4 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 green onions, chopped fine

Combine first 6 ingredients in mixing bowl. Beat together well.

Add first amount of oil gradually, beating steadily.

Beat vinegar and lemon juice alternately with second amount of oil drizzled in. Beat 2 - 3 minutes. Transfer to blender. Beat until creamy, about 15 seconds. Pour into bowl.

Add cheese and onions. Stir. Store in refrigerator.

2008 Feb 27
Horseradish cream dressing. A killer on any salad that's got intensely-flavoured components. It comes from a recipe I snagged out of Bon Appιtit that used this as the dressing for a smoked trout-watercress-apple-red onion salad (www.epicurious.com). The following quantities are listed for six servings.

1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup prepared horseradish
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

The recipe, since it's salad-with-stuff-on-top, holds back two tablespoons of oil and two teaspoons of cider vinegar to be used when dressing the greens.


2008 Feb 27
FIRST, A local twist on the classic Caesar Salad Dressing from Mrs. McGarrigle's (the Mustard Lady) in Merrickville.


CAESAR DRESSING WITH McGARRIGLE’S CREAMY HERB DIJON
(from the McGarrigles Website www.mustard.ca)

This recipe is very adaptable and has evolved several times as a result of having been passed from person to person. The quantities listed below are offered as a guideline only; feel free to alter quantities and ingredients according to your own personal taste. It makes enough dressing for two side salads.

1 Large Yolk
1 Tsp Anchovy Paste
1 Small Clove of Garlic (pressed / minced)
1/2 Tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 TBSP Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Tsp Mrs. McGarrigle’s Creamy Herb Dijon Mustard
1(+) TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the better quality of oil, the better the dressing)
Pinch of Fresh Ground Pepper
Salt to Taste


In a small mixing bowl combine the yolk, anchovy paste, garlic, lemon juice & mustard. Gradually whisk in the oil. Once completely emulsified stir in the pepper, parmesan cheese and salt. Cover and refrigerate (up to 24 hours) until ready to use.

Toss the dressing with fresh washed & torn romaine lettuce. Top with bacon, croutons and extra grated parmesan (if desired). Garnish with a wedge of lemon dipped in paprika.

If serving to children substitute the anchovy paste with about 1 TBSP mayonnaise to make a creamier dressing with no fishy taste.


2008 Feb 27
And SECOND Momomoto made me think of this one:

FRENCH CREAM DRESSING

1 TBSP 35% Whipping Cream
1 Tsp White Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Pour the cream in a salad bowl, then whip it just a few seconds until it starts foaming. Stir in the vinegar, season with salt & pepper to taste. If necessary, you may dilute the dressig with just a few spoonsfuls of water. Toss with Boston Leaf Lettuce and serve.

This is the basic recipe, you can make it with regular vinegar as well (a bit different taste) and some relatives in my family just do it freehand without measuring when making a family sized salad... in that case they would put in a bit of sugar to sweeten it.

Traditionally, we serve this salad around Eastertime, it sort of marks the coming of Springtime (and the availability of better greens).


2008 Feb 27
We had a green salad almost every day when I was growing up. The dressing was always the same:

* dash of Salt or Aromat
* several grinds of Pepper
* 1/4 tsp or so of Sugar
* a few good squirts of Maggi liquid seasoning
* a squeeze of deli mustard (Mom used Thomy senf from a tube)
* 1 or 2 thinly sliced scallions
* 3/4 serving spoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
* 2 serving spoons of Oil

Whisk all that in the bottom of a bowl, then toss in torn lettuce leaves and tomato wedges. People rave about the flavour of this salad!

Optional: a splash of juice from a dill pickle jar, cream, tiny raw broccoli florets, cubed avocado, sliced cucumbers.

The pickle juice makes a fantastic addition to this dressing.

2008 Feb 27
If you can get your hands on sherry vinegar, give it a shot! I prefer simple, just oil (3 parts), acid (1 part) & seasoning. Will adjust depending on the acidity of the vinegar/juice/mustard/whatever is non-oil. Also, adding a very small amount of water & sugar (!) adds a really nice lightness to a dressing that is heavy/sharp in taste. Depending on the purpose of the vinaigrette, I may add fresh herbs like fennel fronds, dill, oregano, basil, etc.

Sourberry: I like your recipe for the cheddar cheese dressing/dip, sounds cool!

Momo: your horseradish dressing is very similar to one I make as a sauce with steak/beef (less the dill)... would work well on a sliced skirt steak salad w/ arugula & boston lettuce.

2008 Feb 28
hi Zym, i noticed you liked Siam Bistro, so in that spirit, why not try something w/ a southeast asian flavour, e.g., a Som Tam (Thai) or a Gado Gado (Indonesian) salad?

Gado Gado can be a meal in itself and depending on their tastes, the peanut sauce might appeal to your kid(s) as well. Its not hard to make:

www.thaitable.com

www.globalgourmet.com

2008 Mar 3
Momomoto: Your horseradish dressing sounds delicious! I'll be trying it this week.

2008 Mar 4
Let me know how it turns out! The smoked trout salad went over really well when I made it.

2010 Jun 14
Anyone have a simple recipe for a blue cheese dressing?

2010 Jun 14
I've used this one from Allrecipes.com and it was quite good:

Ingredients
2 1/2 ounces blue cheese
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1.In a small bowl, mash blue cheese and buttermilk together with a fork until mixture resembles large-curd cottage cheese. Stir in sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2010 Jun 14
i haven't tried this recipe, but it is in the pile to use this summer.

blue cheese dressing
1 cup yogurt, preferably whole milk
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more as needed
salt & pepper

Mash yogurt with blue cheese, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a grinding or two of pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice if necessary.

www.nytimes.com

2010 Jun 15
4 tablespoons each of oil and lemon juice. Experiment with different oils. Experiment with vinegar instead of lemon juice.

Generous pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

A teaspoon dijon mustard

Put into a jar and shake well.

Really great dressing!

2010 Jun 15
zym, i do a similar recipe. equal amounts olive oil & lemon juice, 1 clove garlic pressed, big pinch of oregano, salt & pepper.

this is really good on a lentil salad (canned lentils - stay nicer than cooked lentils, feta cheese, diced tomatoes, green onion), toss with dressing.

2010 Jun 30
And here we go!


2010 Jun 30
Chef Teiji Sekine based this dressing on a recipe given to him by Keiko Nishida, wife of the Japanese ambassador to Canada. Serve it with salad, tofu, grilled chicken or fried salmon. it keeps one week, refrigerated.

www.canada.com

Keiko Dressing

1 medium onion

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup (50 mL) sushi vinegar

3/4 cup (175 mL) sunflower oil

2 tablespoons (30 mL) soy sauce

Peel and finely grate onion and garlic.

Mix onion, garlic and remaining ingredients together.