French Mustard Vingerette

Salad with french mustard vinaigrette

I absolutely loved the mustard vinaigrette we had on our salads in France. It was amazing.  Since I have been home I have been trying to copy the taste.  The mustard isn't quite right and I think I am going to have to make my own but that it is a different blog post. So I am as close as I am going to get, and it is my new favorite dressing.  The only drawback is it has to be made fresh; you should only make what you need (or you can drink the leftovers-- yes, it is that good).  Please note the measurements are approximate.  This is one of those foods that you need to taste and adjust the ingredients to your taste. A note of warning taste the mustard and vinegar before you use them and adjust accordingly. If you can get your hands on real French mustard it is stronger than American mustard (deliciously so in my opinion).

The secret to this recipe of very few ingredients is quality of the ingredients. You want to use a good mustard (hence why I am thinking of making my own), shallots (you can substitute onions in a pinch but it won't be as good), and vinegar (once again-- you can make your own). The traditional dressing is Dijon mustard but you can play around with the mustard. I think a Cajun mustard might be yummy. A word of caution if you hate mustard you will not like this dressing.  My family loves mustard (we have at least 10 varieties of mustard),  and we LOVE this dressing.

Ingredients

2 Shallots (About 2 Tablespoons) Finely Chopped
2-3 Tablespoons of White Wine or Sherry Vinegar (or Champagne Vinegar-- even better)
A couple of Pinches of Sea Salt
1-2 Teaspoons of Mustard
Approximately 1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

Method
The most important step is to finely mince the shallots and soak them in vinegar and salt for about 10 minutes (I recommend a glass or ceramic bowl).

Soaking shallots

Next whisk in the mustard and slowly add the olive oil.

Completed dressing

That's it.  Amazingly easy and so so good. The bottom line: will I make it again.  Yes- I am mixing and matching mustards and vinegars. Yum!