This has been an amazing season here at CBFF and one of my biggest pleasures has been catering at the jewel box that is the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, NY. Regular readers have seen numerous posts of our work there and due to the laser vision of the curators every exhibit is fresh and always exciting.
This exhibit had us there for two corporate events, one for architects in black tie; they looked so very smooth, so very New York, as well as one for BNY/Mellon’s Wealth Management Group. The third event was a “Feast Your Eyes” luncheon which brings in the modern version of ladies who lunch. Busy women, working women, philanthropic women, women who need a brief respite from their hectic lives to eat a delicious lunch and take a brief tour to refuel their souls so they can carry on during this hectic time of year for women everywhere. (Tell me, would ANY holiday happen without us?)
A few of the ladies at Feast Your Eyes commented on the salad dressing which is my spin on Julia Child's Basic Vinaigrette. So here it is along with variations and suggestions and way too much to say. And by the way...giving the gift of membership is a wonderful thing to do for both the recipient and this museum.... Just a suggestion, the link is at the end of the post!
BASIC VINAIGRETTE
Learning the 3 to 1 rule of vinaigrette is really all you need to know, the rest is window dressing!
NOTE: I make enough dressing to store in a jar in the refrigerator for easy use. The amounts are never measured with standard devices but rather by eye and hand. I truly encourage you to do the same. The tactile relation between food and cook is, in my opinion, essential to truly good cooking.
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
• ½ onion or about ½ cup chopped
• ½ cup of good Sherry Vinegar
• 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I use a 2/3, 1/3 mix of good olive oil (2/3) and outstanding olive oil (1/3)
• Heaping Tbs. of Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt- or to taste
• ½ tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper- or to taste
• 1 – 2 TBS. Spike*
*a blend of dried, pulverized vegetables sold in health food stores since 1925.
1. In food processor, puree onion.
2. Add Dijon and all dry spices
3. Add Vinegar
4. Slowly add oil.
5. Taste and adjust. Try to achieve a true balance of tastes, where neither the vinegar nor the oil stands out.
6. Transfer to a jar, shake well before using and sometimes I find it helpful to go into the jar with a spoon so the onion and dried seasonings are evenly distributed
VARITATIONS ON THE THEME.
1. You can switch out the vinegars to be ANY vinegar to complement your menu, the season or preferences.
2. Adding a squeeze of citrus or a rasp of the citrus zest can brighten the dressing.
3. Grain mustard… This change I particularly like with heartier greens like Kale and Spinach.
4. Herbs! Any and all work but will shorten the lifespan in the frig
5. Electric went out? (Oh please, here in the Northeast that is becoming commonplace so it’s back to learning how Grandma did it!) Just use a jar to shake it all up in. Makes the 3 to 1 ratio easy to determine and grate your onion in, or leave it out. There is always the bowl and whisk too…but I’m lazy!
Source: Julia Childs Matering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1 Page 94
http://www.katonahmuseum.org/
This exhibit had us there for two corporate events, one for architects in black tie; they looked so very smooth, so very New York, as well as one for BNY/Mellon’s Wealth Management Group. The third event was a “Feast Your Eyes” luncheon which brings in the modern version of ladies who lunch. Busy women, working women, philanthropic women, women who need a brief respite from their hectic lives to eat a delicious lunch and take a brief tour to refuel their souls so they can carry on during this hectic time of year for women everywhere. (Tell me, would ANY holiday happen without us?)
A few of the ladies at Feast Your Eyes commented on the salad dressing which is my spin on Julia Child's Basic Vinaigrette. So here it is along with variations and suggestions and way too much to say. And by the way...giving the gift of membership is a wonderful thing to do for both the recipient and this museum.... Just a suggestion, the link is at the end of the post!
Learning the 3 to 1 rule of vinaigrette is really all you need to know, the rest is window dressing!
NOTE: I make enough dressing to store in a jar in the refrigerator for easy use. The amounts are never measured with standard devices but rather by eye and hand. I truly encourage you to do the same. The tactile relation between food and cook is, in my opinion, essential to truly good cooking.
Equipment Needed:
- Food Processor or Hand Held Immersion Blender
Ingredients:
• ½ onion or about ½ cup chopped
• ½ cup of good Sherry Vinegar
• 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I use a 2/3, 1/3 mix of good olive oil (2/3) and outstanding olive oil (1/3)
• Heaping Tbs. of Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt- or to taste
• ½ tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper- or to taste
• 1 – 2 TBS. Spike*
*a blend of dried, pulverized vegetables sold in health food stores since 1925.
1. In food processor, puree onion.
2. Add Dijon and all dry spices
3. Add Vinegar
4. Slowly add oil.
5. Taste and adjust. Try to achieve a true balance of tastes, where neither the vinegar nor the oil stands out.
6. Transfer to a jar, shake well before using and sometimes I find it helpful to go into the jar with a spoon so the onion and dried seasonings are evenly distributed
VARITATIONS ON THE THEME.
1. You can switch out the vinegars to be ANY vinegar to complement your menu, the season or preferences.
2. Adding a squeeze of citrus or a rasp of the citrus zest can brighten the dressing.
3. Grain mustard… This change I particularly like with heartier greens like Kale and Spinach.
4. Herbs! Any and all work but will shorten the lifespan in the frig
5. Electric went out? (Oh please, here in the Northeast that is becoming commonplace so it’s back to learning how Grandma did it!) Just use a jar to shake it all up in. Makes the 3 to 1 ratio easy to determine and grate your onion in, or leave it out. There is always the bowl and whisk too…but I’m lazy!
Source: Julia Childs Matering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1 Page 94
http://www.katonahmuseum.org/
