Piquant Salad Dressing is my old favorite fallback dressing. I never make it the same way twice or accurately measure the ingredients each time I prepare it. However, I recently measured the ingredients accurately so I could share this basic recipe. Whenever I invite guests for dinner, their curiosity is raised when they try this dressing, and they all want to know how to make it.
The preparation depends entirely on which ingredients I have on hand. The absolute rock-bottom basic ingredients for this dressing must include the following: lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, water, salt, honey, mustard, garlic and fresh or dried herbs.
This dressing can be stored for a length of time in the refrigerator. Since the oil tends to stay on top of the dressing, it needs to be vigorously stirred before using it. The oil helps preserve the dressing because the juice-liquid parts of the dressing are blocked from air.
The trick to making this dressing so piquant is the addition of other pickling juices, such as the pickle juice I used in this recipe. Other options to use include pickled gherkin juice, salt, juice from a jar of olives or any other homemade pickle juice.
I prefer not to use sugar when I can exchange it for honey. If the honey you are using is too firm to pour, you can soften it in the microwave or wait for the dressing to slowly dissolve it. Any type of honey works well, but each flavor of honey has a particular fragrance which will affect the taste of your dressing.
If the mixture is too tart, I sometimes augment the flavors with some maple syrup for sweetness, yielding a barely discernible difference. I have used dried hot mustard in this recipe, but a good paste mustard is perfectly fine.
Piquant Salad Dressing
Because I used dried herbs in this salad dressing, it will take some days for the herb flavors to fully develop. The herbs tend to float to the top and remain suspended in the oil. A vigorous shaking before serving helps to redistribute the herbs throughout the dressing.
Makes 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 large Meyer lemons
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup light olive oil
- 1/3 cup bottled pickle juice
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 teaspoons honey
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 2 large cloves garlic, chopped or mashed into a paste
- Maple syrup, to taste
Directions:
- Juice lemons over a fine sieve using a citrus reamer. Place lemon juice in a large jar with a lid (such as a Mason jar or canning jar). Add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pickle juice, water and honey to the jar.
- Add salt, pepper, mustard, oregano and tarragon to the jar. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously to combine all ingredients. Add chopped or crushed garlic to jar, replace lid and shake the jar vigorously again to ensure all ingredients are evenly blended.
- Once you've shaken the mixture enough to dissolve the honey, taste for seasoning. If the dressing is too tart, add a few drops of maple syrup to sweeten the mixture. Store unused dressing in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Serving Piquant Salad Dressing
When serving, place the jar of dressing on a plate with a spoon so that your guests can stir the dressing to obtain an even balance of the juices and oil before spooning it over salad greens.
