Old Fashion Freench Dressing

[tabs]

Here is a recipe for a French Dressing that was purloined from the Brown Derby Cookbook published way back in 1949. As many of U long time Los Anglese denizens can remember the ole Brown Derby Restaurant that was a fixture on Wilshire Blvd. This recipe is the basis of many of their other dressing such as Caesar, Roquefort, Chef Robert among others. BTW this is a killer recipe or I wouldn't bother posting it.

This can also be used as a Marinade for meat, chicken or fish.

Brown Derby Old Fashion French Dressing.

1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 cup of water..can use less water for a more oil based dressing..I use 3/4 cup
1 tsp sugar
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
2 1/2 tbl spns Salt...I use 1 table spoon of salt
1 tbs ground black pepper
1 tbs Worcestershire suace
1 tsp English dry mustard
1 clove of Garlic chopped...I add a coupla more cloves
1 Cup Olive oil
3 Cup of Salad Oil

Blend and Chill...

I use a Blueberry Vinegar to give it a bit of a sweetness.

BTW I prize my little copy of the Brown Derby Cookbook so much I keep it locked up with all my other spoons.

[vash]

man, that is gonna make ALOT of salad dressing. rough calc shows 1.5+ quarts of the stuff!

is there a good one for 1000 island? and what is salad oil? veggie oil?

[tabs]

I use Canola oil ...and yes it is alot but you do use it up. It keeps in the refer you know. You can also make 1/2 the recipe.

Thousand Island

3 cups Brown Derby Mayo..they provide a recipe for one
1 cup Chili sauce
1 lg Bell Pepper Seeded and choped fine
1/2 cup fine chopped pimento
4 tbs finely chopped Chives
1/2 cup finely chopped Capers
6 Hardboiled eggs chopped fine
Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Blend well and Chill

[dhoward]

Sounds better than ketchup, relish and Miracle Whip...

[pete3799]

I can see it now....
Tab's own
All profits go to pay off the Obamulus package.

[tabs]

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Brown+Derby+Cookbook&x=43&y=16

There are just some Cookbooks that are cherished and this is one of them.

[gtc]

Most people dont realize how easy it is to make your own vinaigrette. I make about a cup at a time, which generally lasts a few meals.
I use:

~3/4c oil (usually something light for me)
1/4c vinegar (I like champagne or red wine vinegar)
1T finely minced shallot
1T dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper

Put all ingredients in a jar and shake well. (Easier to emulsify this way than whisking. Also stores easily in fridge.)

You can easily substitute oils and acids to fit the meal, ie a splash of sesame oil for asian, some balsamic vinegar or basil oil for italian, or as tabs said, some lemon juice instead of vinegar.

[Pat S]

Originally Posted by gtc

Most people dont realize how easy it is to make your own vinaigrette. I make about a cup at a time, which generally lasts a few meals.
I use:

I use pretty much the same recipe, but reverse the oil and vinegar amounts. I also use a stronger oil like a good virgin olive or a nut oil. It obviously makes a much more tart dressing and therefore I use less.

The dijon is the emulsifier that allows the oil and vinegar to blend, put everything but the oil together and then whisk the oil in slowly, or just shake it up.

Pat

[126coupe]

Originally Posted by gtc

Most people dont realize how easy it is to make your own vinaigrette. I make about a cup at a time, which generally lasts a few meals.
I use:

~3/4c oil (usually something light for me)
1/4c vinegar (I like champagne or red wine vinegar)
1T finely minced shallot
1T dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper

Put all ingredients in a jar and shake well. (Easier to emulsify this way than whisking. Also stores easily in fridge.)

You can easily substitute oils and acids to fit the meal, ie a splash of sesame oil for asian, some balsamic vinegar or basil oil for italian, or as tabs said, some lemon juice instead of vinegar.

Its more work to emulsify with a whisk, but the results will be better, the dressing wont separate, you can use a food processor or a blender.

[javadog]

For those of you that grew up on French dressing in a bottle, let me tell you the Brown Derby version is completely different. If you make their dressing and you have a couple hours to kill, I suggest you make their Cobb salad, too. Lot's of work but it's the original and is nothing like what restaurants in this country sell as a Cobb salad.

No cheating, either...

JR

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Tabs,

Thank you! Great info!

IF I remember correctly, it is 1 TBSP anchovie paste to the French to make a passable Ceasar?? Inquiring (lack of) mind wants to know ;-)

[javadog]

Caesar:

5 cloves garlic
2 oz. anchovy filets
3 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Maggi sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1-1/8 cup olive oil
2 Tb. parmesan cheese

JR

[M.D. Holloway]

Tabs - sounds like a great chicken prep!

I always liked fresh lemon juice over greens with fresh ground pepper and salt - simple.

[creaturecat]

French, dressing:

[M.D. Holloway]

yummy, I know what I want for dinner...(like to toss that salad)

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

Tabs,

Thank you! Great info!

IF I remember correctly, it is 1 TBSP anchovie paste to the French to make a passable Caesar?? Inquiring (lack of) mind wants to know ;-)

The Derbys Caesar is

1/2 Cup Derby French
1 Egg coddled for 1 minute...dropped in boiling water
4 Tbs Whipping cream
1 Tbs grated Parmesan Cheese.

Blend

[imcarthur]

For a made from scratch Caesar sans anchovies . . .

Caesar Salad

Mash several croutons (or in a pinch use bread crumbs)
2 cloves of garlic (mashed)
4 drops Worcestershire
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk

Combine all & stir into a thick paste

Add 1 tbs lemon juice

Then slowly add ˝ cup good olive oil while stirring constantly

Refrigerate for an hour to enhance flavors

Toss with 1 head romaine lettuce (washed, dried & cut into bit sized pieces). Add approx 1 cup real grated Parmesan cheese & toss again.

Garnish with croutons & real bacon bits.

Croutons: Fry 5 slices of bacon for salad – set aside to cool & crumble. Pour off grease, add butter & stale bread cut into small cubes. Lightly season with seasoned salt & pepper. Fry until golden. Remove croutons & let stand for an hour or so to harden & cool.

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Ian