You know what, folks? I miss writing on this site! While I really love writing about music over at my main site (are you subscribed?), making food for groups large and small continues to be a big part of my life. And now that we’re (finally, it seems) moving past COVID, gatherings are going to take off. (I thought that was what they were going to do last summer. Sigh.) So I thought that I’d start doing perhaps a couple of posts a month here about food I’m making for events. Watch for an upcoming epistle about my planned “crepe bar” for a couple of big breakfasts.
For today, though, I’m giving a salad-dressing recipe that my mother-in-law uses quite a bit. If you’ve read much on this site (or bought my cookbook!), you know that I’m obsessed with salad dressing. I want it to stay emulsified as it sits on a serving table and I want it to be thick enough to coat the greens and not end up in a puddle at the bottom. Well, this recipe is quite thin and doesn’t stay mixed, so it’s not usable as a buffet item. But it’s really, really good as a dressing on a salad containing avocado, another ingredient that’s not very practical to serve for big groups. The avocado kind of mixes in with the dressing and gets a little thicker, and this simple combo has a great flavor profile. The addition of a small amount of gelatin is my idea. That ingredient is a bit of a thickener. My MIL always just shakes it up in a jar with a lid, but I think using a blender will help with the whole emulsification thing and also pulverize the cheese a little more. As we pass the dressing around at the table we always have to keep re-shaking it, so I’m going to try my version for the next time we have this type of salad. The original recipe calls for it to be used on a roasted asparagus salad with avocado and greens. Follow the link in the photo caption to see the entire recipe. (You can see even in the photo that the dressing has started to separate.) As I type this on the second day of spring I’m hoping for a bumper asparagus crop in my plot. We’ll see!
So here’s my version of the dressing. Note, by the way, that a list of ingredients can’t be copyrighted. I’m not using the directions from the original recipe, which would indeed be a copyright violation. And I’m giving credit for the photo–and also recommending that you visit the site, as it looks really good. (Link is to the home page.) The author of the blog, Annalise, is still posting as of yesterday, so this isn’t some random left-to-die blog. And it’s interesting to me that the author gives credit to yet another cooking blog for the dressing–but she’s changed the proportions, using twice as much honey as the original. And who knows where that came from? It’s not credited. I include this info just in case you find recipe sources and evolutions to be as interesting as I do!
Okay, Enough of that.
Lemon-Parmesan Vinaigrette
This is a ridiculously-simple dressing that should be used on a salad that includes avocados.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh or bottled
- 1/4 tsp. unflavored gelatin (optional--not in original recipe)
- 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
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Best way to mix this is to use a stick blender. Put the first five ingredients into a container that will accommodate the blender head and blend on high until fairly smooth and then add oil as you continue to blend. Dressing should thicken up at least somewhat. You may need to re-shake it before serving.
Recipe Notes
Note that this is a small recipe but easily multiplicable. I'd advise making a double recipe once you've decided whether or not you like it.
I love lemon, can’t wait to try this! It”s even super simple!