General Purpose Dressings
Note: Cooking Light Magazine has a recipe for Chinese cabbage slaw using a dressing with soy sauce,brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and chile paste. Martha Stewart uses some of the same ingredients with curry powder and teriyaki sauce to make a Thai salad dressing. See also Vinaigrettes and Dressings.
1. Honey and Poppy Seed Dressing
3 T wine vinegar
1/2 t dry mustard
3 T lime or lemon juice
1/2 t paprika
3 T honey
1/4 t salt
1/2 cp oil
1/8 t pepper
1 t poppy seed
2. Red Wine Vinaigrette
This dressing can be served with a Spring Salad, Tortellini Salad, or Green Bean Antipasto
1 1/2T strong red wine vinegar
2t balsamic vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
salt
3 T light olive oil
2 T walnut oil
3. Rice Wine Basil Dressing
Mix all ingredients:
1 cp olive oil
1/3 cp rice wine vinegar
1/2 t sesame oil
1 finely chopped shallot
1/2 t sugar
1/2 bunch fresh chopped basil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
From Melrose Restaurant's Grilled Chicken Salad, Washington D.C., Washington Post
4. Honey Mustard
Note: A possible choice for stir fried or blanched vegetables.
1/2 cp onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic
1 t grated horseradish
1/2 t turmeric
1 T mustard seeds
2 t dry mustard
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 T white vinegar
1/4 cp honey
1/3 cp vegetable oil
5. French
Note: Why don't any of my 'baseline' cookbooks have good old-fashioned French Dressing?
This recipe was inspired by a recipe in the LA Times. The author found his recipe in
some 1920's cookbooks. Ketchup congeals if too much oil is used;dilute with
more vinegar.
2 T sugar
3-4 T ketchup or tomato sauce
1 t salt
1 t paprika
1 t dry mustard
1/3 cp vinegar
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cp oil
Makes 1 3/4 cups. 0 chol; 8 g fat
6. Boursin Cheese
Note: Boursin is a French cream cheese usually flavored with garlic and herbs.
It is best used with fresh herbs of choice, if possible. This recipe is
adapted from Peter Christian's Cookbook. You can add a couple tablespoons of fresh
parsley and fresh chives, if desired.
8 oz softened cream cheese, or goat cheese
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t garlic powder, or one pressed garlic clove
1/2 t basil
1/2 t dill weed
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t parsley
1/2 t celery salt
Blend all ingredients till smooth. Makes about 1 cup. Serve with any of Peter
Christian's Sandwiches, too.
7. Sorrel
Note: An outstanding source of ideas and recipes for growing and cooking herbs is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record , Herbs and Cooking, 1990. This recipe accompanies marinated sea scallops. The dressing could be used for any dish that requires a lemony taste.
3 cps loosely packed small sorrel leaves
2 T white wine vinegar
2 t dry mustard
1 t sugar
1/2 cp olive oil
1. Rinse sorrel; trim off and discard any coarse stems.
2. Chop enough leaves to make 2 Tablespoons. Set aside.
3. Wrap remaining sorrel leaves in paper towels, enclose in plastic bag and chill in
refrigerator to crisp. Use for wrapping scallops.
4. In food processor or blender, combine reserved sorrel leaves, vinegar, dry mustard and
sugar. Process til mixture is a puree.
5. With motor running, slowly add oil through the feed tube and process til well blended.