Lady Violette’s Sauce Vinaigrette
a Very Special French Salad Dressing often served Chez Violette
This makes about 1/2 cup.
Step #1) Combine in a lidded jar:
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. olive oil
Attach lid and shake vigorously until well blended,
Step #2) Then, add:
2 tbs. olive oil
Attach lid and shake well again,
Step # 3) Then, add:
1 tbs. vinegar
3 tbs. olive oil
1 clove pealed and cut in half garlic
Attach lid and shake well again.
Step # 4) Place the covered jar in a cool place until ready to use. Shake well before using. Remove the garlic cloves then drizzle over salad greens, then toss greens to coat thoroughly. Add other vegetables, etc. (nuts, croutons) to the tops of the coated salad greens after dressing.
You can use other types of oils, instead of olive oil, such as walnut or hazelnut for a variation in flavoring. You can use fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of vinegar if you like. You can add 1 tbs. V-8 juice to the dressing during the final step for a tomato flavoring. You can add 1/4 tsp. herbs de provence, ground fine in a mortar and pestle to the final step of mixing.
This dressing can be made and used immediately as part of your salad making routine or made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator marinating with the the garlic clove until the next day. Allow it to warm up and “melt” before mixing it with the greens or you will have a gummy blob. I have microwaved it for a few seconds to rush this when in a hurry. Be careful not to do it more than a few seconds or you will ruin the dressing by cooking it which it will not like. It is safer, unless you are experienced, to let it warm up on its own at room temperature while you prepare the rest of your meal.
The most important thing is that you have to mix the dressing in the three steps as directed. It does not turn out properly if you try to mix it faster by adding all the ingredients to each other in the beginning. Don’t rush it!
Also note: I toss the greens in the dressing in a large bowl with a wooden salad spoon and fork before adding the remaining salad ingredients. This assures that the greens are all well coated with the dressing but the other additions retain their freshness and beauty by being gently arranged on the top of the coated greens.
You can serve the salad in a large bowl or on a platter or on individual plates. For buffets I like to spread it out on a beautiful antique or vintage platter decorated with flowers and garnish it with pretty colored vegetable and flowers carefully arranged around the sides. This is always very impressive.
Even children and adults who often say they hate vegetables get hooked on my salads! The dressing makes everything taste good and they actually discover that their taste buds have grown up to like salads and vegetables since the last ones they tried!
Aha! It is a trick I learned from my mother. She would tell us, “You should taste that dish tonight. I am quite sure you really will find that you like it. Artichoke’s are a very adult culinary delight. I bet your taste buds have grown up since the last time you tried them and you probably are big enough to like them now! Try dipping them in this amazing sauce I have made for them (and you!) . It is really quite a lot of fun to peel off a leaf and dip it into my yummy Hollandaise.” And we would try it and lo and behold she was right! We had grown up enough to acquire a taste for the exotic vegetable at hand.
Of course she used all manner of cute fancy little dishes and quirky specialized utensils to tantalize us into trying to eat with them. It was terrific fun. We would eat things with tiny silver pinchers, or two-tined specialty forks, even down-sized children’s chop sticks. She went to great lengths to introduce us to amazing exotic foods and teach us to cook along side her. These were wonderful old fashioned skills to pass down to me. My father rightly referred to them as “The Feminine Arts.” It is a great asset for anyone to know them. I pride myself on my knowledge of The Feminine Arts. And I am happy to be able to pass on some of that legacy to others should they wish to learn to practice them. They make my life more romantic and lovely to live, in practice, as well as in theory every day.
And here are some of my Lady Violette Basic Salad Recipes. So you have some ideas to get you going using the Lady Violette Sauce Vinaigrette
These are ideas. You can experiment. I like to use greens of all kinds with this dressing. Some of my salads are as follows:
Salad #1)
Lettuces
Water Cress
Sliced Tomato
Sliced English Cucumber
Sliced Avocado if desired
Salad #2)
Boston Bib Lettuce
Red Leaf Lettuce
Granny Smith Apples cut into small pieces
Walnuts
Salad #3)
Spinach
Thinly Sliced Red Onion
Sliced Kumquats
Dried Zante Currants
Sunflower Seeds
Salad #4)
Spinach
Sliced Red Onions
Greek Olives
Feta Cheese Crumbled
Cherry Tomatoes – Red and Yellow if available
Salad #5)
Spinach
Sliced Red Onions
Sliced Hard Boiled Eggs
Sliced English Cucumbers
Goat Cheese
Salad #6)
Lettuces
Sliced Herb Baked Chicken Breast (My Recipe)
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Green Onions
Tomato Wedges
Carrots,
Celery
Herb Croutons (Made from Rosemary Diamante Bread)
Pomegranate Seeds (if available)
Salad #7) This is my favorite!
Greens – Any Combination of Fresh Herbs and Lettuces you can get in season.
I often call this roadside salad in the summer as many or the greens can be gathered wild or from your garden
Berries – Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Huckleberries, Blackberries, etc.
Nuts – Select from your favorite varieties.
Sliced Oranges if desired
Edible Flowers – Especially Violets and Rose Petals, Pansies, Calendula, etc.
Fresh Mint Leaves
Bon appetite! From the kitchen of Lady Violette, Chez Violette
