Recipe News: 6 great salad dressing recipes

When my father used the word "vinaigrette" to ask a waiter about a restaurant's salad dressing, I knew that a significant shift had taken place in the American dining public's level of sophistication. At 77, Dad had left the Thousand Island behind him.
A salad is like Eliza Doolittle: common, but with the potential to achieve greatness. That's where the vinaigrette comes in, and all the better when it's designed by chefs who in true Henry Higgins fashion pay attention to the details. The oil provides the richness; the vinegar and flavorings add personality.

Why even bother ordering it on the side? We are powerless against the lure of a superlative vinaigrette and can only resign ourselves as the contents of ramekins disappear spoonful by spoonful until all is gone.

Vinaigrettes are easy to prepare, but first things first: Any vinaigrette must start off with high-quality oil and vinegar. Not so long ago, the only oil and vinegar available to restaurant diners came in matching cruets of bitter unctuousness and turpentine. Today, cruets have given way to tasting "flights," and serious consideration takes place before chefs decide which oil will anoint their bread.