OK, you got me.
This is not, in fact, an image of French dressing made in the way of the famed Brown Derby restaurant, or even of one of the restaurant’s most popular creations – though I can point you to a very nice appetizer version here.
Nope, this is an image of my latest (and now favorite) version of French Carrots, and the reason I was searchin’ the interwebs looking for an alternate French dressing recipe…
INGREDIENTS
•1/4 cup water
•1/4 cup red wine vinegar
•1/2 tsp sugar
•1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
•1/2 tsp seasoned salt
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
•3/4 tsp dry mustard
•1/8 tsp paprika
•1 clove garlic
•3/4 cup canola oil
Add all of the ingredients, except for the oil, to a blender jar and give a good whizzz to blend and to mince the garlic.
With the blender running, s-l-o-w-l-y stream the canola oil through the opening in the lid until it is all absorbed and the dressing nicely emulsified.
A note on oil: feel free to use whatever oil (or oils) you like. For most salad dressings, I really on canola, because it is my g0-to basic oil, and because olive oil solidifies if I stash the dressing in the fridge and so requires additional time to warm up before using.
Once your dressing is done, scrape down the sides of the blender jar, give it another quick whizzz, then transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and stash in the fridge until needed.
Like so many things, I think this dressing tastes better if made a few hours or (best!) the day before you plan on using it.
As you can see from the beginning of this post, I used mine to pour over some freshly peeled and sliced carrots in a zipper bag, then stashed them in the fridge overnight before tossing with some freshly chopped parsley and turning into a serving bowl as a munchie. Yum!
Some folk on the interwebs have also said it makes a nice marinade for chicken, and I may have to try that, but it also does make for one pretty darned spiffy salad dressing over romaine, red onion, roasted beets, and feta cheese. Just a thought…