All dressed up

by Genevieve Rajewski

Sometime over the last year, I threw in the towel on using store-bought dressings. It’s so easy and much better-tasting to make my own, I have committed to whipping  a dressing up on the spot several nights a week. Usually, I go for a simple 3 tablespoons olive oil to 1 tablespoon vinegar, with a minced shallot or two, a big pinch of Kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper, and somehow, this never grows boring.

This week, however, I ran out of the excellent white wine vinegar that I have come to depend on. I did, however, have a big jug of pretty-average balsamic vinegar, which reminded me of a recipe I had come across in Didi Emmons’s Vegetarian Planet this winter and had not felt quite ambitious enough to try. 

So tonight, I attempted the caramelized balsamic vinaigrette. The recipe requires only standard pantry items and some time on the stovetop (though not much). The resulting vinaigrette is rich, sweet without being cloying and (in Nate’s words) “good enough to drink.” It was excellent atop our salad of red and green lettuce, heirloom cherry tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese--a precursor to grilled Chestnut Farm chicken legs seasoned with a rub of garlic, salt and herbs de Provence. 

Emmons notes that the vinaigrette tastes great drizzled on any type of roasted/grilled vegetable, sliced apples or pears, and cheeses like brie. It’s also an ingredient in her recipe for French lentil salad, which I am eager to make using my leftover dressing.

Caramelized balsamic vinaigrette

Adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

After going following this recipe once, I think it pays, as always, to get your mise en place on:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 4 tablespoons of water

Set up the following in easy to pour (not just dump in) containers—for example, liquid measuring cups:

• 5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of water

You'll also need:

• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• A liberal pinch of salt
• A couple grinds of fresh pepper

Mix the cup of sugar and 4 tablespoons of water in a stock pot (big enough to guard against spitting napalm, aka roiling sugar) and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil the mix until the foam is a light golden color and remove from heat. Whisking constantly, slowly add first the balsamic vinegar, then the olive oil and finally the last two tablespoons of water—all in an unhurried, steady stream. Toss in the garlic, salt and pepper, let it cool to room temperature and serve. 

The dressing will keep two weeks if refrigerated: just re-heat over low heat to thin.

Comments

[Maria Ciampa]

mmmm - I'm gonna try this one.