French Vinaigrette.....

This is a great recipe for Vinaigrette....My cousin Sue traveled Italy..She said every restaurant she ate in and had salad, had a house Vinaigrette, there was no choice for dressing...for us here in America that seems odd, but in France it is the same...all French people make their dressing, au pif, or "by the nose". They do not measure they just taste until they have the taste they want...they would not dream of making a vinaigrette without shallots and the finest dijon mustard they can buy....

French vinaigrette

Makes about 1/4 cup (60 ml), enough for one large green salad

Aside from not using balsamic vinegar in salad dressings, another practice is to use freshly-ground black pepper, which is best added when tossing the salad with the dressing.
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
1/2 small shallot, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3T to 4T (45 ml to 60 ml) olive oil
fresh herbs, if desired

1. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, vinegar, and shallot. Let stand for about ten minutes.
2. Mix in the Dijon mustard, then add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of olive oil. Stir well, then taste. If too sharp, add the additional olive oil and more salt, if necessary. Romain said one needs to add beaucoup de mustard, so feel free to add more as well.
If you wish to add fresh herbs, it's best to chop and mix them in shortly before serving so they retain their flavor. Season the salad with fresh ground pepper when you toss your salad....

just a few ingredients to make a great dressing...I liked the sherry vinegar, it is a lot milder that the regular red wine vinegar, but of course you could substitute red wine vinegar.

mince the shallots very finely...

let the vinegar soak up into the onions, it flavors and softens them... then add the rest of the indredients and whisk together......

for my salad I added sliced ripe pears and goat gouda and garlic toasts....but this dressing would work for any salad combination you can think up.....also I added a handful of chopped chives to the dressing, and again you could season with any herb you like....it is so flavorful and mild, excellent....

Cheers to Happy  !!