Recipes

Tips For Making Your Own Salad Dressing

By Catherine JheonFrom the basic vinaigrette to creamy Ranch, salad dressing provides exciting ways to enjoy your greens.


Eating salad without dressing is like a dinner party without guests; dull and lifeless. But with a splash of vinegar, a glug of oil and a few extra ingredients, you can transform those ho-hum greens into something vibrant.

Salad Dressings
Salad dressings can be traced back to the ancient times. The Babylonians used oil and vinegar to dress their greens as far back as 2,000 years ago. At the turn of the century, Americans started developing store-bought dressing by adding spices and ingredients to the basic vinaigrette (oil and vinegar). Many popular brands of dressing, currently on your grocery store shelves, have been on the market since the 1920s. Kraft, for example, made its foray into the salad business with the introduction of its French dressing back in 1925.

You don’t need to resort to store-bought salad dressing. It’s incredibly easy to make delicious salad dressing at home. There are two basic types of savoury salad dressing: the basic French vinaigrette, an emulsion of oil and vinegar, and the creamy mayonnaise-based dressings, an emulsion of oil and egg yolks. All salad dressings derive from these.

The basic vinaigrette:
1/3 balsamic vinegar
2/3 olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
salt, pepper and sugar to taste

You can substitute or use a combination of red wine, tarragon, white and balsamic vinegar or lemon juice for the acidic base. Similarly, you can use a combination of different oils to suit your palate. Honey or maple syrup can be substituted for sugar. If you find the taste of raw garlic too strong, just rub a clove along the inside your salad bowl for a hint of garlic flavour.

Once you master the basic vinaigrette, you can experiment by adding different ingredients, from fresh herbs to grated parmesan cheese to Worcestershire sauce and even a dollop of ketchup. Laura Calder, the host of French Food at Home, adds drops of soy sauce and a pinch of beef stock powder to give her French vinaigrette an extra kick. Watch Laura make her vinaigrette.

For best results, use good quality ingredients. I like to make my vinaigrette directly in a big wooden salad bowl. I blend all the ingredients and let the mixture stand in the wooden bowl before adding greens. Over time, your wooden salad bowl will be seasoned with your favourite flavours.

You can make mayonnaise using a whisk or even a fork but it is very labour intensive since you need to whisk the mixture non-stop. For best results, I recommend using an electric mixer, blender or a food processor.

Homemade mayonnaise may taste strong for people accustomed to commercial mayonnaise. You can lessen the taste by adding some plain yogurt. Homemade mayonnaise will refrigerate for three to four days. Mayonnaise can be difficult to master, as it often curdles, but it’s easy once you get the hang of it.

Add ketchup, sweet pickles, herbs and spices (usually mustard) for Thousand Island dressing. Use olive oil and add garlic for aioli or try adding yogurt or cream, and ketchup for a classic Russian dressing. For a creamy Ranch, add buttermilk or sour cream, green onions and spices to the basic mayonnaise

Different types of ice cream

Sheila's Bennett Family Burger
Ingredients:
Sheila's Bennett Family Burger
1 cup ground beef
1/4 cup ground lamb
2 Tbsps breadcrumbs
1 x egg
1 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp worchestershire
1 tsp paprika
2 cloves minced garlic
3 x mushrooms, finely chopped
Homemade Mayonnaise
1 x egg yolk
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
3/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
Sheila's Bennett Family Burger
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Form 2 patties, just larger then your hambuger bun , should be just about a ¾ inch thick.
Toast bun lightly with butter.
Add 1 thin, but large tomato slice, iceberg lettuce and mustard.
Many of the family also enjoy store bought hamburger relish added to this burger.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Add everything together in a bowl whisk till blended, Beat in oil drop by drop, be patient. This should be very thick, adjust seasoning as required.
If mayo is too much use store bought, full fat taste best!

Domenic's Molten Lava Burger
Ingredients:
Domenic's Molten Lava Burger
1 lb. ground beef
1 x egg
2 Tbsps bread crumbs
2 1 x 1 x 1 cube cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
Onion Chutney
1 x medium red onion
4 Tbsps sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
pinch of chili flakes

Directions:
Domenic's Molten Lava Burger
Mix meat and all ingredients except cheese.
Form into two patties.
Place vine of cheese in center of patty.
Sear patty in fry pan till both sides golden brown.
Finish in oven till cheese is melted.
Place on toasted bun and top with onion chutney.
Onion Chutney
Place sugar and vinegar in a pan and boil till reduced into a thick glaze.
Slice onions thin and place in sugar and vinegar mixture.
Boil till onions are tender add chilies.
Cool and serve.

Gurj's Bombay Burger
Yield: 2Ingredients:
Burger
16 oz ground lamb
1 x whole egg
3 Tbsps bread crumbs
2 Tbsps diced white onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp curry powder
2 Tbsps chopped green onion
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
Tomato Chutney
2 x diced Roma tomatoes
2 Tbsps brown sugar
2 Tbsps white wine vinegar
Jalapeno and Cilantro Mayonnaise
1 x egg yolk
125 ml olive oil
1/2 lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp chopped jalapeno
Pickled Vegetable Salad
1 x sliced Roma tomato
1/2 sliced red pepper
1/2 sliced red onion
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
125 ml white wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp yellow mustard seed
1 tsp garam masala

Directions:
Burger
Sauté onions for burger mix with vegetable oil over medium heat until soft about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute, add spices and take off the heat
In a bowl: mix ground lamb, egg, bread crumbs, onion sauté, green onions and cilantro, combine well.
Form into 2 even sized patties, and place in fridge until needed.
For the tomato chutney, chop the tomatoes in a large dice and place in a pan over medium heat with sugar and vinegar.
Cook the tomatoes until all the liquid is evaporated, season with salt and black pepper and cool down, serve chutney chilled.
For the mayonnaise char the jalapeno peppers over an open flame or grill until completely charred all over, place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let cool for 10 minutes, then peel off skin and remove seeds, finely dice the remaining flesh.
In a blender mix all the ingredients for the mayonnaise except for the olive oil.
After about a minute of mixing on high in a blender begin to slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you have a thick mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper and chill.
For the pickled vegetable salad prepare all the vegetables by slicing them in fine strips and place in a bowl.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and garam masala in a pot and bring to a boil. Pour the warm liquid over the prepared vegetables and let stand for 30 minutes.
When the vegetables have a pickily flavour mix in the chopped fresh cilantro.
To assemble the Bombay burger grill the patty over medium high heat until cooked through and serve on a tasty bun with the mayonnaise, chutney and pickled vegetables.
Pickled Vegetable Salad
Sauté onions for burger mix with vegetable oil over medium heat until soft about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute, add spices and take off the heat
In a bowl: mix ground lamb, egg, bread crumbs, onion sauté, green onions and cilantro, combine well.
Form into 2 even sized patties, and place in fridge until needed.
For the tomato chutney, chop the tomatoes in a large dice and place in a pan over medium heat with sugar and vinegar.
Cook the tomatoes until all the liquid is evaporated, season with salt and black pepper and cool down, serve chutney chilled.
For the mayonnaise char the jalapeno peppers over an open flame or grill until completely charred all over, place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let cool for 10 minutes, then peel off skin and remove seeds, finely dice the remaining flesh.
In a blender mix all the ingredients for the mayonnaise except for the olive oil.
After about a minute of mixing on high in a blender begin to slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you have a thick mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper and chill.
For the pickled vegetable salad prepare all the vegetables by slicing them in fine strips and place in a bowl.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and garam masala in a pot and bring to a boil. Pour the warm liquid over the prepared vegetables and let stand for 30 minutes.
When the vegetables have a pickily flavour mix in the chopped fresh cilantro.
To assemble the Bombay burger grill the patty over medium high heat until cooked through and serve on a tasty bun with the mayonnaise, chutney and pickled vegetables.