Salad Dressing

On a recent visit to South Carolina, I was lucky enough to visit Clemson University to try some of its famous blue cheese. The university first started making its tangy, marbled cheese in the 1940s, when a dairy professor realized that the cool, dank tunnel of an unfinished local railway line would make the perfect curing environment. Although the operations have since moved indoors, Clemson continues to make its Roquefort-style cheese in small batches using the same artisanal methods (see Sources, page 377). At the campus cafes, you can try everything from blue cheese pizza to blue cheese milkshakes. This rich, creamy dressing was inspired by the flavor of Clemson blue cheese—but in a pinch, any Roquefort-style cheese will do.

A classic of the West Coast, this dressing was created in the 1920s by San Francisco’s Palace Hotel in honor of a play by the same name. With buttermilk standing in for sour cream, my “Southern” version is light, tangy, and chock-full of green herbs. It’s the quintessential spring and summer dressing, and because it’s all about using the freshest herbs—whether dill, chervil, sorrel, or cilantro—I almost never make it the same way twice.

I grew up eating most salads with Italian dressing or plain old oil and vinegar, which was the closest I came to vinaigrette. But now I can’t live without vinaigrettes; they’re so easy and flavorful. Here is one of my favorites, which I often make with the dregs from a jar of mustard that would otherwise have been thrown away.

Taste a portion of the poblano. Some are spicier than others, so adjust the amount accordingly. If it’s really spicy you might want to add more mayo.

I created this recipe after tasting Italian chestnut honey. It has a haunting, slightly bitter flavor that might not be for everyone. But for me it was a revelation, not unlike the first time I tasted arugula or an artichoke. Up to that point, honey was honey. But this honey smelled as earthy as a barnyard—I went running through my restaurant having people taste and smell it. In this dressing, I pair it with the rich, nutty flavor of brown butter, which mellows the honey’s sharp edges. Because of the brown butter, this dressing works best with a warm salad. Try it with diced roasted butternut squash; thick slices of grilled onion alongside roasted chicken; or a lightly wilted spinach salad with bacon, apples, and chopped hazelnuts.

Once you master a classic vinaigrette, the variations in flavor—and the things you can drizzle it over—are endless. What follows are my all-time favorite dressings, but feel free to alter the recipes to include your favorite vinegar, citrus juice, mustard, or herb. You’ll find a range of dressing personalities to suit just about every salad under the sun.

This dressing is delicious with a ripe tomato salad, Bibb lettuce, and fried popcorn shrimp or crayfish tails.

Vinaigrette is usually considered a salad dressing, but it also makes a fine sauce for vegetables, such as steamed green beans and boiled potatoes, and main dishes, such as broiled chicken or fish.