The Bistro’s Balsamic Vinaigrette

This quick and simple-to-make vinaigrette, made with basic kitchen ingredients, is a flavorful dressing for many types of salads.

Course Salad

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword balsamic vinaigrette, how to make a basic vinaigrette, vinaigrette

Servings 4

My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara - My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

1 tbsp high-quality balsamic vinegar
½ - ¾ tsp Dijon mustard
¾ - 1 tsp maple syrup or honey, or to taste
fine sea salt, to taste
3 tbsp high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Optional Add-in Examples (add as few or as many as you like to complement the salad ingredients for which the vinaigrette will be used):
Apx. ½ tsp dried herbs of choice or 1½ - 2 tsp fresh herbs, finely chopped (e.g., dill, parsley, oregano, etc.)
Apx 1 tsp finely minced shallots
1/16 tsp garlic salt or powder (or 1 small garlic clove, finely minced), or to taste
¼ - ½ tsp finely grated citrus zest
¼ - ½ tsp citrus juice
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, maple syrup or honey, and salt together in small bowl (if using any add-ins, combine them, too). Whisk in a few drops of the olive oil then continue adding the olive oil, in a slow, steady stream or dribble, until very well combined with ingredients. Alternatively, add all ingredients in a tightly capped jar and shake it vigorously until all ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Dress the salad with the vinaigrette, a small amount at a time, tossing the salad ingredients to moisten and lightly coat them.
So long as no fresh products (e.g., herbs, shallots, garlic, citrus zest, etc.) have been added to the vinaigrette, any leftover vinaigrette can be stored in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Remove vinaigrette from refrigerator 20-30 minutes before serving time to allow solidified ingredients to liquify and then whisk the vinaigrette to remix ingredients thoroughly before dressing salad.

Recipe Notes

Yield: Apx. ¼+ cup

NOTE 1: This recipe is scalable, meaning it can, using the basic 3:1 formula for amounts of oil to vinegar, be multiplied as many times as necessary to make as much vinaigrette as is needed.

NOTE 2: While the recipe calls for Balsamic Vinegar and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, any vinegar and oil of choice can be substituted, using the same 3:1 formula.