The base formula for a French dressing or vinaigrette is oil and vinegar: if you actively whisk them together, you get a thick emulsion. Now add salt and pepper, and the sauce is ready. Vinaigrette is very good for of salads, cold vegetables, fish, pork, chicken, and even shrimps. But limiting yourself to the basic formula is boring, so you will find dozens of variations of a French dressing with honey, mustard, lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar, Worcester sauce, with a variety of dry herbs, with finely chopped shallots, so if you want to, create your own!
The base formula for a French dressing or vinaigrette is oil and vinegar: if you actively whisk them together, you get a thick emulsion. Now add salt and pepper, and the sauce is ready. Vinaigrette is very good for of salads, cold vegetables, fish, pork, chicken, and even shrimps. But limiting yourself to the basic formula is boring, so you will find dozens of variations of a French dressing with honey, mustard, lemon or lime juice instead of vinegar, Worcester sauce, with a variety of dry herbs, with finely chopped shallots, so if you want to, create your own!- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 5 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: salad
- Cookware: blender, salad spinner, tomato knife
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 2 ramen lettuce leaves
- 2 lettuce leaves
- 2 lollo rosso lettuce leaves
- 4 frisée lettuce leaves
- 1 sprig of cherry tomatoes
- 2 sweet pears
- 150 g Roquefort
For the French dressing:
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp dry oregano
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Cooking method
⠀Step 1
Make the dressing. Pour vinegar into a small container, add salt, honey, and oregano. Whisk until the honey and salt completely dissolve. Then, whisking vigorously, gradually add olive oil until thickened. Or if using a blender, whiz all the ingredients together.
Step 2
Tear the lettuces’ leaves into large pieces with your hands. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Peel and slice the pears. Cut the cheese into cubes.
Step 3
Put salads, pears, dressing in a large bowl and mix. Arrange salad on plates. Top with cherry tomatoes and Roquefort, and serve.
My tips and tricks:
Do you taste food when you cook? Yes or no? You should definitely do this: the eye can be deceived, but the taste cannot be, and if a mistake been made, you may still have time to correct it. The proportion of 3-parts oil to 1-part vinegar for vinaigrette sauce is not set in stone, but is just a guideline. The main thing is to achieve the right balance of acidity, salinity and sweetness – this question will be answered by your taste. And the best way to taste the sauce is to dip a leaf of lettuce into it, shake off the excess and chew. It’s better than tasting it when the salad is ready. Beat the sauce with a blender or a whisk, and if neither one nor the other are at hand, pour it into a bottle, close the lid, and shake well.
Konstantin Vidoborenko’s wine recommendations:
I recommend the sweet German Riesling. Intense, lush, with aromas of flowers, quince, and honey, with a noticeable minerality and moderate sweetness due to the elegant acidity. This wine will be a perfect pair to the taste of pear, Roquefort, and honey, and at the same time will not seem too sugary, due to its natural acidity, which always makes the Rieslings fresh enough.
- 2 ramen lettuce leaves
- 2 lettuce leaves
- 2 lollo rosso lettuce leaves
- 4 frisée lettuce leaves
- 1 sprig of cherry tomatoes
- 2 sweet pears
- 150 g Roquefort
- For the French dressing:
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp dry oregano
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- Make the dressing. Pour vinegar into a small container, add salt, honey, and oregano. Whisk until the honey and salt completely dissolve. Then, whisking vigorously, gradually add olive oil until thickened. Or if using a blender, whiz all the ingredients together.
- Tear the lettuces’ leaves into large pieces with your hands. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Peel and slice the pears. Cut the cheese into cubes.
- Put salads, pears, dressing in a large bowl and mix. Arrange salad on plates. Top with cherry tomatoes and Roquefort, and serve.