MadCookery

My favorite salad dressings are ones that are Balsamic Vinegar based, but I have found very few commercially available once that have the deep rich flavor that I like.  Fortunately, making your own is quick and very easy.  There are two main ingredients in a Balsamic dressing and their quality greatly affects the final product.  The first is Balsamic Vinegar and the second is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I highly recommend purchasing high quality bottles of both for any of the following methods.  The ones available for a low cost at the local grocery store will produce a low quality result, but for a small investment in a small bottle of high quality versions of both and you will still come out cheaper by volume than any commercial bottle and with a much better flavor.There are four methods I commonly use to create Balsamic dressings:  a pure balsamic, a fruit or berry flavored, a reduced balsamic, and an herb infused.  Below are basic instructions for each to be used as a base.  Experiment with each and you will find an almost unlimited selection of dressing flavors. 

I. Basic Balsamic Dressing

This is a basic balsamic dressing.  Any quantity can be made as long as equal parts vinegar and olive oil are used.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 oz Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions:

1. Add the Olive Oil to a bowl
2. Whisk as you slowly drizzle in the Balsamic Vinegar.  Continue whisking until all vinegar is added and dressing is well mixed.
3. Serve immediately, or if holding for a later serving whisk again right before serving.

II. Raspberry Balsamic Dressing

This is a variation on the basic balsamic dressing that adds a fresh fruit or berry flavor.  Any berry or fruit can be used as long as it can be finely crushed to a pulp.  The most well known version of this is a raspberry balsamic dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 oz Balsamic Vinegar
• 8 fresh raspberries
• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Crush berries in a bowl until a fine pulp
2. Add Olive Oil
3. Add salt
4. Whisk as you slowly drizzle in the Balsamic Vinegar.  Continue whisking until all vinegar is added and dressing is well mixed.
5. Serve immediately, or if holding for a later serving whisk again right before serving.

III. Balsamic and Fig Reduction Dressing   

This version requires reducing the balsamic vinegar before adding it to the oil.  You can infuse the vinegar flavor with just about anything you desire during the reduction.  My favorite flavor for this recipe is dried figs.

Ingredients:

• 3 oz Balsamic Vinegar
• 4 dried figs, finely diced
• 1 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions:

1. Add balsamic vinegar and diced figs to a small sauce pan over medium-high heat
2. Stir occasionally until mixture is reduced by 1/3 (approximately 10 minutes)
3. Add Olive Oil to a bowl
4. Whisk as you slowly drizzle in the Balsamic Vinegar and fig reduction.  Continue whisking until all vinegar is added and dressing is well mixed.
5. Serve immediately, or if holding for a later serving whisk again right before serving.

IV. Rosemary Infused Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

A herb flavor can be achieved by using an infused Olive Oil.  You can either purchase an infused bottle of Olive Oil or infuse it yourself by adding the herbs to olive oil in an air tight jar and letting it sit for a few weeks.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Rosemary infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 oz Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions:

1. Add the Olive Oil to a bowl
2.  Whisk as you slowly drizzle in the Balsamic Vinegar.  Continue whisking until all vinegar is added and dressing is well mixed.
3. Serve immediately, or if holding for a later serving whisk again right before serving.

V. Balsamic Blue Cheese Dressing

As a bonus here is a simple recipe for a simple balsamic blue cheese dressing that is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 oz finely crumbled blue cheese
• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Add the Olive Oil to a bowl
2. Whisk as you slowly drizzle in the Balsamic Vinegar.  Continue whisking until all vinegar is added and dressing is well mixed.
3. Add crumbled blue cheese and salt and whisky until well blended
4. Serve immediately, or if holding for a later serving whisk again right before serving.

These should give you some ideas of the wide range of flavors available from this simple dressing.  So use these techniques and experiment to create your own.  If you find one you love, I would love to hear it so please add it to the comments or send it to me and I will feature it (with credit to you of course) on this page.