"classic" vinaigrette recipe? I'm confused

I've always thought that the classic recipe for a vinaigrette consisted of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, maybe a clove of garlic and some good mustard.

So imagine my surprise when I found this:

Classic French Vinaigrette Recipe
From Apply Now,
Your Guide to French Cuisine.
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This vinaigrette is best served with a simple green salad of Boston lettuce, romaine or bibb lettuce.
INGREDIENTS:

* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
* 5 Tablespoons tarragon vinegar
* 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 10 Tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 raw egg, beaten
* 1/2 cup light cream

PREPARATION:
1 pint screw top jar
Place the ingredients in the jar in the order they are given. Replace top tightly and shake until the ingredients are thouroughly mixed. Chill slightly before using.

Cream? Raw egg? Sugar?
This is classic?

Just like Kraft French Dressing doesn’t seem very French...

This is classic?

Er.... no.

I don't think you are the one who is confused.

This is strange.

rwj

I think the "classic" reference is to Kraft French Dressing and all its clones, which of course aren't French. Maybe it should be renamed Kraft Freedom Dressing.

It of course is also not a vinaigrette. It's in the mayo-based class of salad dressings.

You're not confused. They are.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

That's pretty funny. Who are these people?

John, I agree. Eggs and cream have never been in my idea of a classic French vinaigrette. Interestingly though, I had noticed a few weeks ago in Ina Garten's "Barefoot in Paris" cookbook, her Green Salad Vinaigrette calls for an extra large egg yolk. My thought was, "How odd," when I read that.

I've always thought that the classic recipe for a vinaigrette consisted of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, maybe a clove of garlic and some good mustard.

Your “classic” may be someone else’s “nouveau”.

According to the <i>Dictionnaire des mots de la table</i> by Tristan Hordé, a dictionary of food words published in 2004, the term “vinaigrette” dates back to the late 14th century. Then as now, you often see it referred to as “sauce vinaigrette” in French books. Additions to the basic oil and vinegar tend to be herbaceous rather than dairy. But in those 500 years, I’m sure there have been many variations, including many that are creamy. (By the way, the French term <i>salade</i>, from the Italian <i>salada</i> and <i>salatta</i>, only dates back to the 16th century. Early variations of the word in English date to the late 14th century.)

Here’s one from Roger Vergé (<i>Ma Cuisine de soleil,</i> 1978) that I’ve found quite tasty—and it has more cream than olive oil:



<b>vinaigrette à la crème d’ail</b>

1 large or 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled, trimmed, germ removed, grated
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Whisk the first five ingredients together in a bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Yield: 2 servings.

I guess "vinaigrette" has become one of those culinary terms such as "coulis" or "fajitas" that has wandered far afield from its original meaning.

-Paul W.

Well, you learn something new every day. Whoda thunk it? I'll have to try it anyway.

rwj

I think you read it wrong. It's not "classic," it's Vlasic.

In his book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee includes a detailed discussion on the vinaigrette. He includes a discussion on Untraditional Vinaigrettes:

"Inventive cooks now make vinaigrettes with a variety of fats, including flavorsome olive and nut oils, neutral vegetable and seed oils, melted butter, and even hot meat and poultry fats (pork and duck); the water phase may contain vegetable or fruit juices or purees, meat juices or stock reductions; and the droplets may be emulsified or stabilized by thorough pulverizing to a small size in a blender, or with pounded herbs or spices, vegetable purees, mustard, gelatin, or cream. Today's vinaigrette is a very versatile kind of sauce." (McGee, 638)

I wouldn't call it classic, though, and neither does he. His earlier discription of a "classic" is what most people here have described.

rwj

I think the reference to Kraft is inappropriate. I don't like Kraft style at all. It is just that they make it differently. Something makes it orangey pink. I suspect paprika and possible some tomato product.

I do like Catalina and make my own.