My House Vinaigrette (And How It Changes with the Seasons)
There is a jar in my fridge right now that has been there, in some version, for years. It is not fancy. It is not interesting to look at. But it is the thing I reach for more than almost anything else I make, and it is the reason every salad in this house tastes the way it does.
It is a vinaigrette. My house vinaigrette. I make a jar at the start of the week and it is gone by Saturday.
I am not sure when I landed on this exact combination. It was not a single moment. It just evolved, the way the best kitchen habits do, from making it slightly differently each time until I stopped changing anything. The ratios are easy to remember. The method is a jar and a shake. It keeps for weeks, and because the herbs change with the seasons, it never quite tastes the same way twice.
Right now, with the garden just waking up, it has chives and thyme in it. The chives are enormous. They are the first thing out of the ground every year, and right now they are starting to send up their little purple blossoms that I love using as garnish. The thyme overwintered beautifully. Oregano is up. The herbs are abundant before the vegetables have even started, which means the vinaigrette is the first real thing the spring garden produces.
The Recipe
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs, whatever you have (I am using chives and thyme right now)
1/4 teaspoon salt
A few grinds of pepper
Everything into a jar. Shake until it comes together. Keeps in the fridge for a few weeks.
For a creamy version: add a teaspoon of good mayonnaise before shaking.
The Herbs Are the Whole Thing
This is what makes it a house vinaigrette rather than just a vinaigrette. The herbs change with whatever is growing or whatever is in the kitchen.
Right now it is chives and thyme, because that is what the garden is giving me. When the tarragon comes on in a few weeks, it will be tarragon. Basil later in summer. Sage works beautifully in fall. A mix is better than any single herb alone. There are no rules here. Use what you have.
A Note on Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is my default because it has enough character to stand up to olive oil without being sharp. But if you like your dressing a little sweeter, try seasoned rice wine vinegar. Champagne vinegar and white wine vinegar both work well too. I have never tried balsamic, although I like that flavor profile. I think it would be wonderful, but I probably would not make the creamy version with it.
What I Have Been Pouring
We have been opening the 2023 Viognier with almost everything. It loves spring herbs, it loves lettuces, and it is what I have in the fridge right now. A vinaigrette-dressed salad with a glass of Viognier on a Tuesday evening is one of the simplest good things about this time of year.
What Else Is Happening in the Garden
We are finally past our last frost date, which every year feels like a small holding of breath, and this week the garden caught up with itself all at once. The peonies are getting big. Another month and they will be a show. Lilacs are blooming everywhere and all kinds of branches are bursting. The table finally has flowers on it again.
The vegetable beds and borders are just getting going, and the cutting garden is next on my list.
I love this space. It has to be ever-changing because it sits in the path of the winter snowplow, so it is mostly plant from seed. Nothing to worry about when the winter chaos arrives. I typically plan it with a riot of sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos. Fun and easy growers that add lively color and whimsy and look great in a vase. I grow the same favorites every year and try a few new things on top. This year there is a creamy yellow sunflower I have not grown before, a new zinnia, and a new cosmos in the mix. There will be dahlias, of course, because I have so many every year, and I will pop in a few things as I stumble upon them at nurseries. I am also adding thyme. I saw it planted as part of the landscaping at a garden I visited recently, and I am bringing some of that thinking home.
What Is Going in the Cutting Garden This Year
Everything below is from Botanical Interests or Rare Seeds (also sold as Baker Creek Heirlooms).
Zinnias Every year: Mazurkia, Queeny Lime Orange, Queeny Lime Red, Senora. New this year: Benary's Giant, Zinderella, Peppermint Stick.
Cosmos Every year: Sea Shells Blend, Candystripe, Double Click, Apricot Lemonade, Japanese Kiiro, Candy Floss Pink. New this year: Black Magic.
Sunflowers Every year: Rouge Royale, Heirloom Beauties, Chocolate Cherry. New this year: Vanilla Ice.
And a few other things I tucked into the vegetable beds last year and loved enough that they will earn a spot in the main cutting garden: Strawflower King Size Silvery Rose (a fantastic dried flower), King Size Apricot Aster (an absolute showstopper), and Stock Vintage Brown.