Balsamic Vinaigrette

In my opinion, some of the hardest things to overcome on a GF/DF diet are dressings. Salads are an easy way to find friendly food if you’re out and about like when at a gathering with friends. As long as it’s a dry salad. There are easy options like a little olive oil and salt but not only is balsamic vinaigrette is EASY to make, it’s probably my favorite way to dress a salad.

It’s quick and easy to get all of the things together, you don’t need much. I won’t provide measurements in this recipe, because the amounts are dependent on how much dressing you want and your taste. And, in that vein, I actually don’t measure anything when making this. What you’ll actually need:

• 1 Large Egg Yolk
• Dijon Mustard
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Minced Garlic
• Minced Shallot
• Salt

Start by whisking the mustard and the egg yolk together. The mustard will help with your emulsification, but you don’t need very much for that (start with about 1tsp). It will help add some flavor, though, so you can add more at the beginning or the end. Then start to slowly drizzle your oil in. If you go too fast, the emulsification will “break”, meaning that the oil will separate. Using a whisk in decent size bowl is key; a fork in your cereal bowl just won’t cut it (you can also cheat with an immersion blender in a narrow container if you have one).

Continue to add oil and the dressing will start to become thick and more difficult to whisk (you’re well on your way to mayonaise now).

At this point you can add some balsamic vinegar. Add it slowly and taste the dressing. You can go back to adding more oil (if you want more dressing than what you have) or add vinegar until you achieve the flavor you want. As you’re tasting, also add a little salt to taste. You could probably make a quart of dressing with just that one egg yolk, but unless you’re having a party, I prefer to make smaller batches about once a week.

Once you have the quantity of dressing you and the amount of vinegar you want, add the garlic and shallots. You could skip one or both of these if you wanted, but I think they really take the dressing to the next level. If you really want to impress, add finely chopped thyme or rosemary, just consider what you’ll be placing in your salad.

Finally, slowly add water to achieve the desired consistency. You will also find that coming out of the refrigerator, the dressing is much thicker and you may have to add a little water.

Enjoy!