Vinaigrette in jar

Everything sounds better in French, especially a vinaigrette in a jar, right? Why buy bottled dressings when you can make your own? Hey. We’ve all been there. Everyone likes a specific salad dressing. Ranch dressing was a big hit in my house. Who knew it was a pizza dip too? Amazing. Often those dressings sat on the fridge shelf, counting their expiration days away. Blech. Sometimes I forgot to check those dates. Sorry kids! Why is it when you buy a lot of something, the kids decide they no longer like it. WHY?

Here’s another question. Do you have 5 minutes? Then you can make a delicious vinaigrette for the week. You can use this for a lunch or a diner. For lunches, I like to put the vinaigrette on the bottom of a container and top it with chopped vegetables and beans. You add the lettuce and protein on the top so it doesn’t get soggy. Give it a good shake and lunch is ready!

There will be three commands. Mince, pour, and shake. Let’s make some vinaigrette.

1 16-ounce (or so) glass jar

2 tsp. minced garlic or shallots

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Remove lid from clean jar. That’s very important. Place the garlic or shallots, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and vinegar in the jar. Can you follow these complicated directions? Should I write slower? Give the lidded jar a shake. That’s right, put the lid on tight. Now, you can add the olive oil and really shake it. This will become a creamy, dreamy vinaigrette. It’s magic. The olive oil emulsifies when you shake it. If you want to make less dressing, remember that you use 4 times the oil for vinegar, so you can reduce the proportions. Use more or less garlic and seasoning. Always taste it and add accordingly. I like to use a glass jar as it cleans well, with no garlic odor or oily residue. Store this in the fridge for about a week.

Here is a video of Jacques Pepin making this vinaigrette. He’s much more entertaining than moi.
Enjoy!