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Vinaigrette Sauce
Put a saltspoonful of salt and two dashes of white pepper in a saucer, and add to it gradually three tablespoonfuls of vinegar, stirring with a fork, then add little by little six tablespoonfuls of olive oil. Stir until thoroughly mixed, and add one tablespoonful of chopped parsley.
A plain French vinaigrette, written before bottled dressings existed. The only real work is the emulsion, and the order given is the right one.
- SaltspoonfulA saltspoon was the smallest piece in a Victorian condiment set, roughly a quarter teaspoon. A dash of white pepper is not a fixed measure; read it as a small pinch.
- Dissolve the salt firstSalt goes into the vinegar, not the oil, because it will not dissolve in fat. Skipping that step leaves grit in the finished sauce.
- The ratioThree tablespoons vinegar to six of oil is 1:2, sharper than the 1:3 most modern cooks use. Vinegar strengths were not standardised, so with a strong wine vinegar you may want to hold back some of it.
- Add the oil slowlyLittle by little is the hinge. Poured in at once, the oil will not disperse and the sauce separates on the plate. A fork in a saucer works, but a small jar shaken hard is faster and holds together longer.
- Olive oilA grassy, peppery modern extra-virgin will dominate this small a quantity; a gentler oil sits closer to the intent.
- YieldAbout half a cup, enough to dress a salad for four or to spoon over cold boiled beef, poached fish or asparagus.
- Parsley lastChopped parsley added at the end keeps its color. If it sits in the acid for long it turns drab.
Vinaigrette is the diminutive of the French vinaigre, vinegar itself a compound of vin aigre, sour wine. The sauce belongs to the cold end of the classical repertoire, and its main job was to dress cold cooked things: leftover joints, boiled tongue, cold salmon, artichokes. An acid sauce made at the table in a saucer required no fire, no stock and no time.