Vinaigrette week continues on DadCooksDinner. Here is the dressing that gets the most requests for the recipe - my Caesar Salad dressing. This is the dressing where I learned the power of the basic formula for vinaigrettes. A few years back, I was staying with my Aunt and Uncle in Chicago, and I was making dinner.*
- Juice of 1 lemon (should be about 2 to 3 tbsp)
- pinch (say, ¼ tsp) of sugar (optional)
- pinch of salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (optional), plus some extra for the salad
Directions: Easy Way
1. Whisk to blend: Whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl until creamy.
OR:
Directions: With Finesse
1. Dissolve the salt and sugar: Whisk the salt, sugar, pepper, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl until the salt and sugar dissolve, usually about 10 seconds.
*It's authentic if you add 1tsp of Worstershire sauce to the dressing (in step 1), but I forgot it once, and didn't miss it, so I've been skipping it.
*This is what I think of as the base recipe for creamy salad dressings - vinaigrette where mayonnaise is substituted for most of the olive oil.
Inspired by:
There are lots of sources for this one, but the "add the cheese to the dressing" came from:
Cooks Illustrated - The Best Light Recipe
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