Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette is a basic sauce that blends together vinegar and oil. In the Rockpool kitchen it covers almost every type of dressing, including nam jims and nuoc chams. The vinaigrettes I make are strictly a combination of souring agent and oil. I don’t like binding them with egg yolk to make them look more incorporated; I like the look of the puddles of oil with vinegar or lemon juice moving through.

Generally the ratio for salad dressing should be one-quarter vinegar or lemon juice to three-quarters oil. This is ideal for soft lettuces. As the strength of flavour and bitterness of the leaves increase so should the proportion of vinegar. The strength of the dressing must be proportional to the strength of the salad leaves to be dressed. Use good-quality extra-virgin olive oil with good balsamic, red-wine or sherry vinegar, or lemon juice, and season with garlic and herbs if you like. Adjust the acidity to suit your palate.