Here's one from Delia Smith Online that I use, all text from her website:

Vinaigrette Dressing

It has to be said that this is always going to be a matter of personal taste according to how much acidity you like and what your preferences are as to flavourings and so on. I seem to suffer from some kind of mental handicap with dressings, which roughly means that other people's salad dressings always seem to taste better than my own  my husband's particularly. Here I have set out my favourite version of vinaigrette, but it's adaptable: you can use red or white wine vinegar, a different mustard or no mustard; if you like it sharper, use a higher ratio of vinegar, and if you want it less sharp use a higher ratio of oil. The following combination is my own personal favourite. Vinaigrette dressing is best made and used as fresh as possible, because once the oil is exposed to the air it loses some of its fragrance. If you want to prepare things ahead, proceed up to the vinegar stage and leave adding the oil till the last minute.
Serves 4-6; halve the ingredients for 2-3

1 rounded teaspoon Maldon sea salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 rounded teaspoon mustard powder
1 dessertspoon balsamic vinegar
1 dessertspoon sherry vinegar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly milled black pepper

You will also need a pestle and mortar.

Begin by placing the salt in the mortar and crush it quite coarsely, then add the garlic and, as you begin to crush it and it comes into contact with the salt, it will quickly break down into a purée. Next add the mustard powder and really work it in, giving it about 20 seconds of circular movements to get it thoroughly blended. After that, add some freshly milled black pepper.

Now add the vinegars and work these in in the same way, then add the oil, switch to a small whisk and give everything a really good, thorough whisking. Whisk again before dressing the salad.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith's Cookbook.

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And to make it into her Niçoise dressing, add:
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon, parsley, basil, chervil or mint, for example); if using fresh oregano and thyme, use just 1/2 teaspoon each in the mix.

Note from Sharon: Last time I made this dressing I used about 2 TBS flat leaf parsley chopped together with about 1 teas each of fresh mint and thyme from the garden.

SharonCb

Once you've enjoyed your own fresh made you'll never go back to prepared dressings.

Here is the herb dressing I use most often

Fresh Herb Dressing

½ Cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbl red wine vinegar
2 Tbl sugar
¼ Tsp fresh ground pepper
1 Tsp salt

fresh basil chopped
fresh oregano chopped
fresh chive chopped

Combine ingredients in glass jar and shake well. Serve with salad: lettuce, fresh spinach, cucumber slices, sliced radish, grape tomatoes and shredded carrots.

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Store in refrigerator if using fresh herbs.
Also good using dried herbs. This dressing is great on pasta salad.

The first rule about home made salad dressing is that there are very few rules.

For a vinaigrette-type dressing, you need some form of acidic liquid and some form of oil. Experimentation and imagination are your best friends. The acidic liquid can be any number of vinegars, or it can be some form of citrus juice, tomato juice, or even liqueurs. EVOO is great, but don't disdain the lowly veggie oil, nut oils, rendered meat fats or sesame oil (very strong, so generally you combine it with others).

Some form of sweetener is often needed, and I have used sugar, fake sugar, honey, corn syrup, marmalade, jam or jelly, fruit juice or pureed fruit, and maple syrup.

Any number of herbs and spices can be added...try smelling your favorites and imagine the flavor combined with salad greens, pastas, grains or fruits (whatever you're making your salad from).

Mustards are good additives to dressings as well, and there are dozens of different flavors you can add that way!

Pureed sun dried tomatoes, powdered dried bell peppers, minced onion, garlic,hot peppers, and various strong cheeses, such as blue or feta are other possibilities.

Just have fun with it! The worst thing that can happen is that you'll end up with a few cents worth of something you don't like.

A couple of tips...

Try to make your vinaigrette-type dressing ahead of time. They are generally better with some time for the flavors to "moogle" together.

Regardless of the old Good Seasonings cruets, it is very difficult if not impossible to get a vinaigrette to emulsify by shaking it. Now, it isn't always necessary (or even desirable) to emulsify the dressing. But, when you want to ensure the ingredients don't separate...

Blend all the other ingredients in a blender or mini food processor and then add the oil. It helps create a longer lasting blend if you add the oil in a very thin stream as the blender is running. A small tupperware bowl with a small hole pierced in the bottom can sit on top of a blender and drizzle the oil slowly into a working blender very easily.

Vinaigrette will separate in the fridge, and some oils will solidify, so remember to take your dressing out of the fridge early enough for it to come to room temp.

Nothing fancy about my oil and vinegar just olive oil (evoo) and vinegar. Lots to play with in vinegar types. El-cheapo Walmart basalmic is a favorite vinegar of mine. I also like the Heinz salad vinegar. I have some more expensive and sweeter vinegars but prefer the sour flavor on salad. Sometimes I use plain white generic vinegar that I buy by the gallon for pickling and cleaning. Often I'll add a dash of "italian seasonings" which is a cheap blend of rosemary, oregano, and basil... if find the little dollar bottles as good as any. Sometimes a shake of seasame seeds is good. I salt and pepper almost everything I eat so that is a given. Salad often gets packed in my lunch for work in a ziplock bag. I'm careful to pour the vinegar and oil in the bottom of the bag so the lettuce does not get soggy waiting for lunchtime. No particular measurments... just some and some and some.

: )
lyra

Ok-not oil and vinegar, but actually my favorite.

1/4 c lemon juice
3/4 c oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Combine all ingredients

Yum!!!!

Sharon's recipe is, to me, the essential vinaigrette. It's a very good dressing as is. It has everything necessary for a good tasting dressing to complement all sorts of salads and other dishes. It is also a good starting point for other dressings.

Jim

I have lots of "recipes"....really I do!! LOL!!
but one of my favorite ways for a salad for 2 to 6 people is what I call "toss and dump".
Have your dry greens in a bowl, with any addons but for tomato or avocado ( thay tend to fall apart when you toss) and begin with a drizzle of olive oil....tossing as you are drizzling (this works best with a helper)....just enough so that every leaf is coated, then add your vinegar....works best with a gentle vinegar....liek champagne or rice or a cheap balsamic....then sprinkle with a little sugar, a little salt, herbs of choice...keep tossing ande nd with fresh ground pepper.
Takes about2 minutes but if it isn'ts weet enough, you can add sugar....if not sour enough more vinegar etc.
Linda C

Most typical Spanish restaurants here have the oil & vinegar cruet sets on the tables, with salt and pepper as well. So a mixed salad is dressed at the table by simply drizzling over some olive oil, adding a sprinkle of red wine vinegar (about 1/3 the amount of vinegar as oil used) and shaking salt and pepper over all. Of course there are more elaborate salads with a chef's dressing, but the self made vinaigrette from the cruet is a standard, in homes as well.

I forgot to mention that the Nicoise herb dressing I made included about 2 TBS chopped chives from the garden along with the other mentioned ingredients, so the herb mixture consisted of chives, thyme, mint, parsley, plus the mustard and the rest,

SharonCb

Here's my standard recipe which can be varied as situations and availability of ingredients dictate:

Tarragon Vinaigrette Dressing

6 oz Olive Oil (see note)
2 oz White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/8 to ¼ tsp salt (preferably kosher)
generous grinding of black pepper
4 to 6 dashes of Tabasco
about ¼ tsp of Dijon mustard

Put all the ingredients in a container and blend well with a fork or whisk. If you want it a little thicker, put an ice cube in it while blending it, removing the ice cube prior to dressing the salad. It can be made up earlier in the day and stored in a glass container, covered, in the fridge; just whip it up again immediately prior to dressing the salad. Makes about one cup.

Note on olive oil: this recipe is only as good as the oil you use. DonÂt use cheap olive oil (or--horrorsÂÂlite olive oil.) Use a good green "primavera" extra virgin oil, no blends. Bertolli is fine. If you can find a French oil like Hilaire Fabre or James Plagniol, get it; itÂs fantastic. Variation 1: use walnut or hazelnut oil instead of the olive oil. Variation 2: for the vinegar, use half vinegar and half lemon juice. However you vary it, though, make sure you follow the proverb "A spendthrift with oil and a miser with vinegar" Âthe oil to vinegar ratio should be about 3:1.

I second the lemon juice and olive oil suggestion (1 part lemon juice to 3 parts olive oil). For me, what converted me from store-bought dressing was learning to add enough salt to make it taste good. It should taste noticeably salty when you stick your finger in and taste it, because it's going to be poured on a lot of veggies that are mostly water. If you add the proper amount of salt, extra seasonings are icing on the cake :-)