Making Vinaigrettes

Mix and store homemade salad dressings in decorative mixer bottles or cruets. Homemade vinaigrettes are easy and inexpensive to make. Just keep a variety of vinegars and oils on hand, and you'll always be prepared to whip up a zesty dressing.

• Walnut or hazelnut oils are fragrant oils that can be added to vinaigrettes, but their flavors are too strong to use for cooking. You will want neutralize the fragrant oils by mixing them with grape seed, canola or safflower oil.

• Extra-virgin olive oil is full of flavor and is perfect for vinaigrettes. Cold-pressed olive oil is expensive and not necessary for good vinaigrettes.

• Good vinegars include red-wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, rice-wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice can be used in place of vinegar in vinaigrettes.

• For every tablespoon of vinegar use two to 2-1/2 tablespoons of oil.

• Flavor vinegar with garlic. Just place a clove on a skewer and drop in a bottle of vinegar. This works with vinegar but not with oil. The high acidity of the vinegar keeps the garlic from spoiling. Putting garlic in oil will only cause the oil to become rancid.

• Vinaigrettes can be used as a sauce on grilled meats and fish, or as a marinade for meats.

Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. mustard (make it a heaping tablespoon)
pinch fresh parsley
pinch thyme
3 Tbs. cider vinegar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs. hazelnut oil (optional)

Preparation:

Combine first five ingredients in a salad cruet and shake well. Add cream and shake again. Refrigerate until ready to use, but no longer than three days. Add hazelnut oil if desired for a nutty flavor.

Blue-Cheese Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 Tbs. parsley
3 Tbs. red-wine vinegar
7 to 8 Tbs. olive oil
fresh ground pepper (optional)

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together in a blender. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.