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    Basic Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe

    July 22, 2012 by G. Stephen Jones 20 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Mustard Vinaigrette

    How to Make a Simple Mustard Vinaigrette

    One of the first things I learned to make when I was learning how to cook or should I say being taught how to cook was a simple vinaigrette. I was in my 20's and didn't even know at the time how much I would enjoy spending time in the kitchen.

    I was dating this wonderful woman who lived in a studio on the Upper East Side of New York City whose kitchen was barely big enough for one let alone two adults. It was so tight that just preparing diner together was enough to create a romantic setting.

    Now in my current kitchen, my wife and I can be cooking a 5-course meal and not once bump into each other although I try every chance I get. There's something to be said for small kitchens. But I digress.

    Thinking back, this friend was probably my first cooking teacher and the one who taught me how to enjoy good food and how much fun it can be in the kitchen. She taught me two simple lessons that I still preach about on my web site. One, use the freshest, best ingredients available and two, keep it simple.

    And although she was a very good cook, she had a few simple recipes up her sleeve that she could pull off at a moment's notice. One of them was a mustard vinaigrette.

    This vinaigrette is so simple yet so delicious, I've been serving it to friends and family for the last 20 years and still get rave reviews. Maybe all my friends grew up like I did on those commercial brands of French and Thousand Island dressings.

    You know the ones that won't come out of the jar until you smack them a few times on the bottom and next thing you know you have a big funky glob of dressing on your plate.

    Mustard Vinaigrette Basic Ratios

    I did a little research on the basics of preparing a simple vinaigrette to see how my tried and true recipe stood up to the pros. What follows are some tips on making a basic vinaigrette that can be your starting point for a plethora of vinaigrette that can be prepared by altering the ingredients.

    Almost all the recipes I found call for a 3 to 1 ratio of oil to vinegar. This is a safe ratio to memorize for general knowledge but shouldn't keep you from coming up with your own. When making this basic vinaigrette for myself, I rarely measure it out. I just add the ingredients, taste, and adjust.

    Now this isn't the best way for beginners to learn, but once you get the basic idea of what it should taste like, go for it. If I did measure it out, I bet I would come up with a ratio of slightly less oil to vinegar than 3 to 1.

    The Simplest Vinaigrette

    The purest form of vinaigrette would be oil, vinegar, and a little salt & pepper mixed right in a bowl of greens. When I was a kid, we used to go to this Italian restaurant; it was more like a pizza joint with tables in the back. They would serve a salad of iceberg lettuce, 2 slices of cucumber, and a rock hard wedge of tomato with nothing on it.

    On the table would be a cruet of olive oil and a cruet of red wine vinegar. The waiter would come around and ask if I would like him to dress it. Of course I wanted him to dress it and toss it too. He was an expert.

    I figured he must have dressed thousands of these salads so he must know what he's doing. Besides, at that age I had no idea the proper ratio was 3 to 1.

    Slightly more complicated would be to introduce an emulsifier to our vinaigrette. What a horrible sounding word to something that tastes so good. Why would you add an emulsifier like mustard to your vinaigrette? One reason might be to add an additional layer of flavor.

    Another would be to keep the oil and vinegar from separating. That's what an emulsifier does. First you combine the vinegar and mustard, season with salt and pepper and then slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking the ingredients together.

    What Type of Oil To Use?

    There is no reason to use good olive oil when making a mustard vinaigrette. Why?

    The mustard overpowers the taste of the olive oil. You might as well use vegetable oil or canola oil. You do however want to use decent French mustard with lots of flavor.

    I typically use a Dijon mustard. If you do insist on using olive oil, be careful not to over beat the olive oil when combining with the other ingredients so not to lose its delicate flavor and make it bitter.

    You may want to try making a blend of olive oil and some other type of oil. I like to mix my vinaigrette in a used jar with a cover for easy storage. Usually I save an old mayonnaise or baby food jar.

    If the dressing gets low, just add some more ingredients, taste, and adjust the amounts. Some recipes insist on using a whisk to combine ingredients although I find a fork works just fine.

    What vinegar you use is your choice and depends on what you are putting the vinaigrette on. I prefer a Balsamic vinegar, but you can use red or white, cider, flavored, infused, or even try no vinegar at all and substitute a citrus juice. (but then it wouldn't be called a vinaigrette, would it?)

    The Other Ingredients I Use

    The other ingredients I typically add are garlic, dried parsley, and dried thyme. Some recipes call for chopping the garlic, some mincing it, some pulverizing it with a mortar and pestle. I either smash it with the side of my chef's knife or use my handy, dandy garlic press which is fun to use, but a pain to clean.

    These are the basic ingredients I use, but you should not limit yourself from experimenting with a variety of herbs, spices, and other ingredients. Just look in any cookbook or cooking magazine and you'll find dozens of variations.

    Here's my basic vinaigrette with measured amounts, but as I said earlier, I usually just eyeball it, taste, and adjust. If you make this enough times, you'll be doing the same in no time at all.

    Mustard Vinaigrette
    Print Recipe

    Basic Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe

    This is one of the best salad dressing I make and it's so easy.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Total Time10 mins
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    • 1 glove garlic smashed
    • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 6 tablespoons oil vegetable, corn, canola, olive or some combination
    • 1 pinch of dried parsley
    • 1 pinch of dried thyme
    • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • In a clean jar or small bowl, add the vinegar, garlic, mustard and mix well.
    • Slowly add the olive oil while either whisking or stirring rapidly with your fork.
    • Add the parsley and thyme, salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings.

    Notes

    Simple, you bet, but this straightforward recipe will blow away any store bought salad dressing on the market. Start experimenting with your own ingredients and you will have Paul Newman getting nervous. Enjoy.

     

     

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    I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me... Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Suzanne

      January 04, 2013 at 4:31 am

      soo..... somehow the picture resembles a mustard vinaigrette. However, adding the balsamic vinegar to the mix completely changes the color. was white wine vinegar the intended ingredient? or is the picture mid production?
      Thanks!

      Mid production Suzanne - RG

      Reply
    2. Lkk

      January 22, 2013 at 8:40 am

      Their is a white balsamic vinegar...

      Reply
    3. Jeff Eppinette

      March 18, 2013 at 11:36 am

      Wonderful and adaptable recipe! I am now empowered and can kiss Kraft goodbye (for the most part).

      Reply
    4. Denise

      February 09, 2014 at 2:54 pm

      Thanks for the tip that over beating olive oil makes it bitter! I had no idea...

      Reply
    5. Michelle

      April 14, 2014 at 2:53 am

      Mine turned out extremely thick??

      Reply
    6. Trish

      April 17, 2014 at 1:39 pm

      How long will this dressing last in the fridge?

      Reply
      • The Reluctant Gourmet

        April 18, 2014 at 7:23 am

        Trish, I am not an nutritional expert so I am reluctant to tell you how many days it officially can last in the fridge, but from my own experience, I've left it in for a week and it
        seems fine. I have commercial salad dressings in my refrigerator that have been in for much longer and they seem fine but who knows what's in them. I did a quick search for an answer and found this site to offer some useful information, http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/15553/how-long-will-homemade-salad-dressing-stay-good-in-the-fridge
        Hope this helps some.

        Reply
    7. Paul

      May 07, 2014 at 1:52 pm

      Hi

      Made one today, and it was so good, my wife really loved it, and she's picky.

      Thanks for the excellent recipe.

      Reply
      • Paul

        May 07, 2014 at 1:55 pm

        And further to add, i grilled asparagus, sandwiched between seasoned fried steak steak (pepper, salt, tyhme and parsly) and on the bottom, pulled pork.

        The vinaigrette really complemented it well, and was drizzled generously on the outside, perfect for dipping the asparagus in.

        Reply
    8. Sydney

      June 30, 2014 at 6:56 pm

      Thank you, it's wonderful!

      Reply
    9. Martin

      July 21, 2014 at 10:06 am

      How do you mix in the clove of garlic evenly so it creates a mix?

      Reply
      • The Reluctant Gourmet

        July 28, 2014 at 11:41 am

        The garlic is smashed so I typically use a fork to combine the garlic and other ingredients. A small whisk works well too or how about putting everything in a jar with a tight lid and give it a shake?

        Reply
    10. Jeff

      April 16, 2015 at 4:28 pm

      Very LOW carb! I like this recipe. I add a little blue cheese crumbles and a teaspoon of mayo to make a thicker dressing.

      Reply
    11. Helen Hopkins

      July 09, 2015 at 8:05 pm

      Thanks for the recipe! I added honey and creole mustard in place of the dijon, I also used red wine vinegar! So delicious on kale and arugula with grilled salmon!

      Reply
      • The Reluctant Gourmet

        July 13, 2015 at 3:03 pm

        Helen, great substitution ideas. Thanks for sharing them with me. I love it when other home cooks like myself play around with a recipe to come up with something new and special. Much appreciated. Can't wait to try your version.

        Reply
    12. Sarita

      April 26, 2018 at 2:54 am

      What makes olive oil bitter is using anything less than extra virgin olive oil; not keeping them out of heat and light so that they oxidise (= rancidity); and using Spanish olive oils - which are the cheapest but also notoriously bitter. This doesn't matter for some dishes, but certainly does for vinaigrette.
      Please note that you should always use extra virgin olive oil for health reasons too. Refined and heat extracted olive oils - which is what anything other than extra virgin oil and lesser quality oils (canola etc) and even sunflower oil - are some of the worst things you can eat for your health. On a side note, this is why margarine is so bad for you. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I read up on health a lot and have been aware of the oils issue for a long time!

      Reply
    13. Lee

      July 28, 2019 at 12:35 pm

      Try adding a dollop or two of lite mayonnaise to recipe. Adds a fullness to the taste of the marinade. Toss marinaded pounded thin chicken breasts on the grille and your guests will be asking "when's your next bbq?"

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        July 31, 2019 at 3:54 pm

        Thanks for this tip Lee. Will give it a try.

        Reply
    14. Kevin

      June 01, 2020 at 5:53 am

      I also add a teaspoon of honey and teaspoon of bourbon. This the only dressing I use.

      Reply
      • G. Stephen Jones

        June 02, 2020 at 8:40 am

        Hi Kevin, great additions and I can't wait to try them especially the teaspoon of bourbon.

        Reply

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