{"id":174,"date":"2010-04-22T20:15:12","date_gmt":"2010-04-23T00:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recipephany.com\/?p=174"},"modified":"2023-08-14T13:47:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T17:47:56","slug":"a-this-tasty-vinaigrette-has-no-vinegar-and-less-oil-q-what-is-lemon-vinaigrette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/recipephany.com\/?p=174","title":{"rendered":"A: This tasty \u201cvinaigrette\u201d has no vinegar and less oil. Q: What is lemon vinaigrette?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post\u2019s title reads a little like something from the TV show Jeopardy<\/em> in honor of our guest blogger, Leah Greenwald<\/a>. As if her accomplishments as an architect and mother of triplets <\/em>aren\u2019t enough, Leah is also a five-time Jeopardy <\/em>champion.<\/p>\n

Leah has great kitchen advice \u2013 both for designing kitchens and cooking in them. (Her magnificent cakes and cookies<\/a> look like they\u2019re on loan from the MFA.) So when she sent me this recipephany I couldn\u2019t wait to try it.<\/p>\n

As someone who buys vinegar by the gallon, I had trouble grasping the concept of substituting precious fresh lemon juice for vinegar. But as a lemon lover, I agree it\u2019s worth it. And I’m thrilled to do away with much of the oil typical of vinaigrettes. Tart without the harshness of vinegar, and still with plenty of olive oil taste, this dressing almost makes the greens toss themselves with delight.<\/p>\n

Here’s what Leah wrote:<\/strong>
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\u201cThis recipe is a transmuted version of one from Nora Ephron. Ephron’s attitude toward cooking\u00a0is somewhat similar to mine: unfussy, practical, a reliance on simple ingredients.\u00a0 She used lemon juice rather than vinegar, which inspired me to make this salad dressing I call ‘vinaigrette,’ even though it has no vinegar.\u00a0 But most important, she added a little sugar. The little bit doesn\u2019t add many calories compared with the oil, but it allows me to use so much less oil than the standard recipe. Most recipes call for twice as much oil as vinegar or lemon juice, while I just use equal amounts.\u00a0 That<\/em> was my recipephany — a little sugar meant the oil could be reduced by half.<\/p>\n

“Don\u2019t add too much sugar, though. Just add it taste, taking the edge of too-much-sourness out without making it detectably sweet, or, as my kids used to\u00a0prefer it, it can be something\u00a0approaching oily lemonade.<\/p>\n

“Also, what brought this to mind was that this evening I was looking at a recipe for vinaigrette from a recent Cook’s Illustrated<\/em> which calls for a 1\/2 teaspoon of bottled mayo to be added to the mix to facilitate emulsion.\u00a0 That puts all the additives from the mayo into your fresh salad dressing, which I think is a pity.\u00a0 Anyway, if you\u00a0use a bottle or jar, shaking it\u00a0well emulsifies\u00a0it plenty.\u00a0 Just shake and add the dressing\u00a0only when\u00a0you’re about to serve the salad.<\/p>\n

Lemon \u201cVinaigrette\u201d\"I<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n