A classic French Salad Dressing is a dressing that everyone should know. It’s simple to make and lasts for 2 weeks so it’s a great standby – make a big batch! All you need are some crisp leafy greens, toss it in a French Salad Dressing and you have yourself an instant side salad!
I think a French Vinaigrette is the very first salad dressing recipe I learned to make properly. When I say “properly”, I mean more than just drizzling a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil over greens. Which there’s nothing wrong with doing, and I still certainly do that! I mean actually making a real proper salad dressing. I think this was my first. 🙂
The thing many people may not know about French Salad Dressings is that it keeps really well for up to 2 weeks. Yes it has eschalots (the small onions, also known as French shallots in Australia, or shallots in America). But it continues to flavour the dressing for around 2 weeks, and it doesn’t go bad. Unlike garlic which does. Very important cooking trivia – fresh garlic, once chopped or minced, goes bad after a few days and can cause a nasty form of food poisoning called botulism. I’m referring here to raw garlic. Cooked and dried garlic is ok. Query store bought garlic – I’m not entirely sure but would personally not risk it.
So because a classic French Vinaigrette does not have garlic in it, it’s fine to keep! And unlike garlic, eschalots and onion keep for weeks in oil. 🙂 So this French Vinaigrette will be just as tasty as the day you made it for up to 2 weeks. Beyond this I find the eschalots lose flavour power, but it’s still a tasty dressing.
This French Vinaigrette goes in my bucket of “recipes that everyone should know”. Definitely a classic to keep! – Nagi x
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French Salad Dressing (French Vinaigrette)
Ingredients
Big Batch to keep (1 cup)
- 1/4 cup eschalots / French shallots , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar (or sherry or champagne vinegar)
- 4 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or more if you want richer)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Small batch (Side salad for 4 ppl)
- 1 tbsp eschalots / French shallots , finely chopped (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar (or sherry or champagne vinegar)
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil (I use 5 tbsp)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place ingredients in a jar and shake well until combined. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Let rest for 5 minutes before using, or keep up to 2 weeks.
- Small Batch: Use to dress 4 handfuls of leafy greens.
Recipe Notes:
Don’t miss all the other Ready To Use Dressings I shared! These all last for 2+ weeks, most for 3 weeks.Find them all here.
Could I use DRIED shallots in the French Vinaigrette? I don’t have easy access to fresh but have a bunch of dried shallots in my cupboard. I expect they’d soften in liquid and still offer flavour…? If using dried, would I change the amount?
Hmmm…. I think you could! I would use the same amount because the flavour is not quite as intense as fresh but I have a feeling that the longer it stays, the more it flavours the dressing. Just reduce the salt you add because dried shallots (at least in Australia) is salty. 🙂
I often use an eschalot infused red wine vinegar from France when making a French dressing and find it an excellent compromise. I just substitute half of my wine vinegar with this one and it does a great job. I am in Canada so I have no idea if this vinegar would be easy to find in Australia but it is a very large company and I would be surprised if it was not available to you.
I also run out of Dijon mustard on occasion so I sometimes use dry powdered mustard in place of that. It makes a great binder and is milder tasting than Dijon. It is also easy to keep on hand and can be very useful in the kitchen.
I must admit I’ve never seen an escalot infused vinegar here in Australia but I love the idea and will keep an eye out for it. Thank you for the tip Robert! N xx
The company who makes it is a Canadian firm, Chef LeLarge, but the products are imported from France. They have a number of different flavoured vinegars. You could always send them a message and ask if their products are available in your part of the world.
You can find more info on their web site here: http://www.lelarge.ca/produits/vinaigres/vinaigre-de-vin-rouge-au-jus-echalote.en.html