A Classic from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom

1/2 tablespoon shallot or scallion, finely minced
1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1/4 tablespoon of salt (or to taste)
The juice of one lemon
1/2 tablespoon white or red wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup of Excellent olive oil or other fine, fresh, flavorful oil
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Shake all of the ingredients in a screw-top jar with great vigor. .

With a little twist

2 teaspoons salt
1 scant teaspoon Tabasco
1/2 cup Splenda or sugar
1 cup oil
1/2 cup tarragon vinegar (or apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar)

Combine all ingredients in a lidded jar. Shake well.

My family likes it best when I substitute Perel's Spicy Pecan vinegar for the tarragon vinegar

Sweet and Sour Dressing

Yield 2 1/2 cups
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup wine vinegar
3 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients.
Notes: Prepare the dressing early in the day. Allow it to sit at room temperature. This allows the sugar to melt. Recipe can be halved.

At this time of year, I love to use walnut oil and sherry vinegar with a little mustard, salt and pepper. It has a lovely autumnal flavour.

Thanks for your wonderful ideas!

Ginny

I still have frozen cubes of lemon juice from my Meyer last winter and just love it in this vinaigrette for Ina Garten's snap pea salad.

1/2 cup good olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar
2 T fresh lemon juice - obviously mine isn't "fresh" but IS directly from lemons ;)

I'm making this to bring to Thanksgiving for a little brightness against the rich food. I'm a little obsessed with it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Snap peas with pancetta and parmesan

My vinaigrette is similar to those above, but I make it in a mortar & pestle and start with two cloves of garlic with 1-1/2 tsp Kosher salt. I mash the garlic into a paste with the salt and then add the black pepper. Yesterday I decided to add some dried herbs, and so I put in 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried thyme, but it is better to use fresh. Anyway, I ground those with the garlic and pepper and then added 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp of white Balsamic Vinegar, and 1 tsp red wine vinegar. Then I put that mixture into a jar and added 1/3 cup basil oil (from Pasolivo in Paso Robles) and 1/3 cup California Blend olive oil (also from Pasolivo). It made a pretty intense vinaigrette, and so I did not need much on my salad. I added shaved Italian cheese to the salad, but I can't remember the name of it. It was a bit crumbly, like Manchego Viejo.

Lars

I am not puzzled by the phrase "excellent olive oil." But, I would like to know what brand(s) you think of as "excellent olive oil."

That is because I truly do not what brand(s) excellent olive oils are considered to be.

Personally I like Frantoia, which can be hard to find.

But it's almost like asking "what is an excellent wine"?

What do you like ? How are you using it.

Go some place where you can sample it on breads, so you can get an idea of the types of olive oils you prefer.

I have been a fan of St. Helena Olive Oil company in Napa for over ten years. She works with several olive growers in California. The oils change depending on the time of year. I am waiting for the harvest release in January. The Habanero olive oil is one of my favorites. Olive oils are subjective. There is a wide world of olive oils beyond he supermarket. I make Julia's vinaigrette but I use anchovies if I want salty and honey when I want sweetness.
Good luck!

Here's my go-to recipe. The three to one oil:vinegar ratio is a classic for a reason--it tastes good.

Tarragon Vinaigrette

6 oz Olive Oil (see note)
2 oz White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/8 to ü tsp salt (preferably kosher)
generous grinding of black pepper
4 to 6 dashes of Tabasco
about ü 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. DonâÂÂt use cheap olive oil (or--horrors--"âÂÂliteâ olive oil.) Use a good green âÂÂprimaveraâ extra virgin oil, no blends. Bertolli is fine. If you can find (and afford) a French olive oil from Provence like Hilaire Fabre or James Plagniol, get it; itâÂÂs 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 âÂÂA spendthrift with oil and a miser with vinegarâ =="the oil to vinegar ratio should be about 3:1.

Trader Joe's has a pretty good selection of olive oils. Of all their varieties I have tried, I've never had a dud. But if you aren't close to a specialty store, the supermarket may carry Bertolli or Colavita, and I find both of those satisfactory.

This post was edited by arley on Wed, Nov 26, 14 at 8:54

Here is a list of 2014 award winning oilsfrom USA, but you can search other countries as well. I bought the California Blend from Pasolivo when I was in Paso Robles in September. From this list, it looks like a I need make a trip to Ojai, which is a short distance from me and can be a day trip.

It's good if you can go to an outlet that has tastings, such as a restaurant supply store.

Lars