Salad Dressing 101: Dressings for All Occasions - Softcover

4

8 ratings by Goodreads

9781552855249: Salad Dressing 101: Dressings for All Occasions

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552855244 ISBN 13: 9781552855249

Publisher: Whitecap Books, Limited, 2005

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Over 101 fresh and delicious ideas.

The best salad dressing recipes from three dozen chefs and cooks are now available in one great collection, Salad Dressing 101.

Chef Nathan Hyam has personally selected over 101 recipes for vinaigrettes, creamy dressings, low-fat dressings, Caesar dressings, and potato and pasta salads dressings.

The introduction provides an overview of the simple ingredients and techniques that make a perfect dressing and demonstrates easy ways to adapt dressing to any salad.

Along with classics that belong in any cook's repertoire, there are innovative dressings with international flavors. Symbols throughout the book provide guidance on which dressings go with which salads.

Discover delicious recipes such as:

Basic Vinaigrette
Green Goddess Dressing
Classic Caesar Dressing
Basil Balsamic Dressing
Thai Coconut and Roasted Garlic Dressing
Miso Gari Vinaigrette.

Salad Dressing 101 is a cookbook for everyone who loves fresh food with flavor that can't be topped.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Nathan Hyam is a chef known as 'the Thai Guy.' He is the author of New Thai Cuisine.

Introduction

Salads and Dressings

Eating fresh raw food is a culinary link to our distant ancestors. Historical records show that the Romans, Egyptians and Babylonians all enjoyed various types of salads with flavored dressings as a part of their diet thousands of years ago. Foraging for greens and edible plants is part of our cellular memory. The word "salad" conjures up images of health, new growth and pleasant weather. Perhaps this is why eating salads can make you feel so good. They are an edible symbol of nature, a hint of green pastures or a lush country garden right at your table, no matter where you live.

The incredible diversity of produce available today makes an entire new range of dishes possible. However, although the multiplicity of greens and vegetables used in a salad will give a solid foundation of taste to the dish, most people would agree that the key flavoring element is the dressing. A perfectly matched dressing can tie together all the individual elements of a salad to create a culinary symphony.

Matching Dressings to Ingredients

There are infinite ways to transform a bowl of greens just by choosing an appropriate dressing. A carefully chosen dressing can transform a simple salad into a special occasion dish.

The dressing can be a spectacular combination of zesty flavors and aromas but it is best to remember that it is really a seasoning meant to enhance the main ingredients. It should augment their flavors, not overpower them. The art of matching a dressing to a salad calls for some analysis of both the salad ingredients and the dressing.

Translucent mixtures of oil and vinegar, with added taste elements such as herbs, are best when paired with leafy greens.
Creamy dressings with their thicker texture are ideal with heavier ingredients like vegetables, pastas, grains or potatoes and meats.
Vinaigrettes are very versatile and can be used to dress most types of salads.

A question to ask in helping you choose a dressing is: "Are the flavors of the salad ingredients predominantly strong or mild?" A subtle-flavored green like butter lettuce will be overwhelmed by a pungent creamy Caesar dressing.

Texture is another important consideration. A soft delicate mache leaf will be squashed by a heavy mayonnaise-based dressing but this same dressing could be an ideal complement to sliced vegetables or a sturdy lettuce like romaine.

When a salad is a part of a larger meal it is important to determine whether or not the dressing will harmonize with the other flavors in the meal. The herbs or spices used in the salad dressing could complement the other flavors or clash. A weighty entree like beef stew calls for a light leafy green salad with a simple oil and lemon dressing. A dressing based on orange juice could harmonize well with a curry entree but it would be redundant with an entree of orange ginger chicken.

When to Add the Dressing

The dressing for most salads, in particular leafy greens, should be added as close to serving time as possible, or served separately so the diner can decide on the amount to be added.

It is essential to be aware of the consequences of adding dressing to a green salad too far in advance of it being served. Most dressings contain acids such as vinegar or lemon juice. This acid will cause the greens to wilt and get soggy as soon as the salad is tossed with the dressing. The salad will get soggier as the time increases before it is eaten. However, this rule has an exception. Salads without leafy greens, such as potato or pasta salad, actually improve in flavor when they are allowed to marinate in the dressing for an hour or longer.

Emulsions

The two most common types of dressings are vinaigrettes and creamy dressings. These are both examples of emulsified dressings. Emulsifying means combining two liquids that don't usually mix together easily. In a salad dressing the two liquids would normally be oil and vinegar. Acidic liquids like vinegar or lemon juice help the process a little by changing the pH of the mixture.

Starting with the vinegar in a bowl, the oil is added very slowly, usually drop by drop, while beating vigorously. This disperses and suspends small drops of the liquids throughout each other. It is essential for the oil to be added slowly or the two liquids will not combine.

The two liquids will remain combined for a short period of time but will soon separate. The harder the mixture is beaten or stirred the longer it will take to separate. This is because the oil and vinegar are broken into smaller droplets. The smaller the droplets are the stronger the emulsion is.

To change the temporary emulsion into a permanent emulsion a third ingredient must be added -- an emulsifier. Egg yolks and mustard are examples of emulsifiers. They act to stabilize the two different liquids by forming a layer around each of the tiny droplets and holding them in suspension. Mayonnaise is an example of a permanent emulsion. The harder a mayonnaise is beaten to break up the droplets the more stable it becomes.

It is important to note that emulsions form more easily at room temperature because cold oil is more difficult to break up into small droplets that will create a more stable emulsion.

Quality of Ingredients

Most salad dressings are not cooked, so their flavor depends directly on the quality of the ingredients used. Cold-pressed fresh oils and well-made vinegars or freshly squeezed citrus juice are essential in creating a dressing that will enliven a salad with layers of subtle flavor and aroma. A hint of rancidity will cut through all the taste elements of any dressing.

Oils

Olive oil has long been the most commonly used salad oil. Its range of flavors makes it very diverse. Choosing an olive oil is a bit like choosing a wine -- there are hundreds of flavor possibilities from dozens of countries. Mediterranean countries produce the best olive oils but there are scores of subtle taste variations among them, from full-bodied rich olive flavors to more mellow-flavored mild herb notes. Extra virgin olive oil is the most flavorful olive oil and comes from the first pressing of high-quality olives. Virgin olive oil comes from a second pressing of the olives and is slightly more acetic. Pure olive oil comes from a subsequent pressing or from lower-quality olives. It has the least flavor and is also the least expensive.

Corn oil, safflower oil and canola oil all have a very mild taste and are a popular base in many dressings because of their relatively neutral flavor.

Soybean oil has a strong flavor and is not usually appropriate in salad dressings unless it has been blended with another oil.

Peanut oil has a distinctive flavor if it is cold pressed and is ideal for Asian dressings.

Grape seed oil is a very healthy oil that is now more readily available. It has a very subtle nutty flavor that works well in many dressings.

Walnut oil has a very rich walnut flavor that goes well with most greens. It does not keep for very long and should be refrigerated in warm weather.

Light oil usually refers to an oil that is very mild in flavor. Canola oil would be an example of a light oil.

Vinegar

White or distilled vinegar is distilled from a number of different grains. It has a high acidity level and a sharp, slightly medicinal, taste that is not usually appropriate for salad dressings.

Red wine vinegar is made from numerous types of red wines and the flavor will vary depending on the variety of wine used as well as whether or not it has been wood aged. It usually has a sharp full-bodied flavor and is an excellent choice for vinaigrettes.

White wine vinegar, like red wine vinegar, is made from many varieties of wine and will have the distinctive flavor of the wine from which it is made. It has a slightly sweeter and cleaner taste than red wine vinegar and is ideal in a vinaigrette served with milder greens.

Balsamic vinegar is special wine vinegar made from sweet red wine that has been aged for years in wooden barrels. It is reddish brown in color and has a mellow, slightly sweet, flavor. There are many different levels of quality but the best balsamic vinegar comes from Modena in Italy.

Sherry vinegar is made from sherry and consequently has a rich smooth sherry flavor with a slight tartness. Its mellow full-bodied flavor is a result of being aged in wood barrels. The best sherry vinegars come from Spain.

Cider vinegar is made from apples. It has sharp edge to it and a slight sweet apple flavor.

Rice vinegar is made from rice wine. It is usually low in acidity and the flavors will vary depending on its country of origin. Chinese rice vinegar has a tangy flavor and is available in white, red and black. Japanese rice vinegar has a smoother, mellow taste and is available both natural and seasoned.

Fruit or herb vinegars are made by infusing fruit or herbs in wine vinegar. They are readily available at gourmet shops but are also easy to make at home.

Matching Greens and Dressings

These symbols will help you to decide which dressing is best suited to the salad ingredient that you are using. It is important to remember that these suggestions are merely a basic guideline and the final decision is best determined by personal preference.

(1) DELICATE MILD-FLAVORED GREENS

Butter (Boston) lettuce, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, mache, fresh herbs

(2) STURDY ROBUST-FLAVORED GREENS

Romaine lettuce, endive, spinach, watercress, radicchio, sliced vegetables

(3) STARCHES

Potatoes, noodles, rice

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.