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Julia Child - Sugar in Vinaigrette


PatyGirl

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In her book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", Julia Child says that using sugar in a vinaigrette is "heresy". Do others agree?

I am currently working with a chef who uses the 3:1 olive oil and vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar and it creates a great vinaigrette. I guess I am wondering what Julia's train of thought was... Am I missing something?

Also, do you guys throw it out after a couple of day? She implies the vinaigrette goes rancid, but I've never tasted a difference, especially with sauces that include mustard, herbs etc.

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yes, sometimes.

It depends on the salad type and oil type.

this is what I do, simple for

in a big bowl, shallots thinly sliced, simple vegetable oil, good white vinegar, salt, pepper, a couple of pinch of white sugar, tarragon, all mixed in the bowl.

If I use good olive oil, or some other nut oil, I will only use the oil with a little bit of good vinegar or lemon juice.

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My recipe for vinagrette pleases me and my wife so much, we rarely deviate:

2 TBSP EVOO

2 TBSP Aged Modena Balsamic Vinegar

1 TBSP Finely diced Shallot or Red Onion

2 TBSP Raspberry Puree

1 TBSP Organic Dark Brown Sugar

1 TBSP (Heaping) Grey Poupon

S&P

Just occasionally, I substitute 1 TBSP Red Wine Tarragon Vinegar for 1 TBSP of the Balsamic.

On Romaine, this is delicious. Sometimes for variety I add some thinly slice portabellas or crimini, some thinly sliced radish, and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesiagno Reggiano.

doc

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In her book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", Julia Child says that using sugar in a vinaigrette is "heresy". Do others agree?

So, Julia says not to add sugar, but my Mother, and Grandmother before her always added a pinch. :hmmm: Now I'm on the horns of a dilema. :unsure:

I usually do vinaigrette by feel, without actual measurements. If the vinegar is especially tart, or the greens somewhat bitter, I'll add a pinch of sugar, or even honey.

SB (and since I usually mix in the bowl, storage isn't an issue) :wink:

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I could never make a vinaigrette that I enjoyed until I read somewhere about a chef who added a pinch of sugar - voila! Problem solved. Now we all like my vinaigrette dressings. I think it should be a matter of taste rather than a question of heresy.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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In case anybody was wondering, here's Julia's Basic Vinaigrette Dressing:

1/2 Tbs finely minced shallot or scallion

1/2 Tbs Dijon-type mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 Tbs wine vinegar (Julia used "French vinegar from Orleans")

1/3 - 1/2 cup excellent olive oil or other fine. fresh oil

Freshly ground pepper

SB :smile:

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Another point to keep in mind is the ratio of oil to acid in Julia's recipe as srchb posted above. She calls for 1 tablespoon of acid (lemon and vinegar) to 1/4-1/2 cup of oil. At those proportions -- 8:1 up to 16:1 -- you probably don't need sugar.

But I think a more common proportion for vinaigrette is maybe 4:1 oil to vinegar, or even 3:1. At those proportions, the addition of sugar is an entirely different proposition -- if you're not balancing the vinegar with additional oil, sugar seems to be a alternative way to do that.

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Another point to keep in mind is the ratio of oil to acid in Julia's recipe as srchb posted above. She calls for 1 tablespoon of acid (lemon and vinegar) to 1/4-1/2 cup of oil. At those proportions -- 8:1 up to 16:1 -- you probably don't need sugar.

But I think a more common proportion for vinaigrette is maybe 4:1 oil to vinegar, or even 3:1. At those proportions, the addition of sugar is an entirely different proposition -- if you're not balancing the vinegar with additional oil, sugar seems to be a alternative way to do that.

As Julia put it, "I use the proportions of a very dry martini, since you can always add more vinegar or lemon but you can't take it out."

SB (can't argue with that?) :wink:

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Depending on the salad, and who I'm cooking for, I'll sometimes use a dash of honey in my vinaigrette. Honey is a natural emulsifier, so it helps the dressing hold together better, and it adds a nice deminsion of flavor.

-Sounds awfully rich!

-It is! That's why I serve it with ice cream to cut the sweetness!

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I am assuming that your interest in this topic is of a more academic nature and that you are interested in authenticity rather than personal taste.

So...

I am not a chef and have never lived in France and so I am not claiming to know anything earth shattering on the subject, but, having made a brief review of my ridiculously large cookbook collection it appears that Julia Child knows what she is talking about (no suprise there). I checked out all of the cookbooks that I have relating to French Cuisine and none of them include sugar in the ingredients for their vinaigrettes. This list of chef/authors includes Jacques Pépin, Paula Wolfert, Louisa Jones, Anthony Bourdain, and Madeleine Kamman. I believe that they constitute a reliable source. If you want specifics I can forward more specific info.

I, however, love a little sugar in my vinaigrettes, and add it on most occasions. Also adding little glucose is an old restaurant trick to help keep a dressing emulsified for a longer period of time, if that is of any importance to you.

Have you seen the Weblog Chocolate & Zucchini?It is a really enjoyable and engaging blog by a young french woman (Clotilde Dusoulier) who could probably enlighten you as to all things french (I mean French with a capital F). I just looked at her blog to confirm her name and she has a delicious looking Salad with Arugula, toasted almonds, and a sherry vinaigrette that contains 1 tsp. of sugar, which would compliment the bitter greens and almonds nicely, so there you have it, maybe not historically appropriate, but certainly french.

Does that help?

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As with all things, generalisation is hard. But bear in mind that French vinaigrettes tend to be rather bland and on-the-sharp-side. I think this is because the French generally serve the salad after the main course and it has a sort of "palate cleansing" function. Maybe a sharp vinaigrette on a plain salad serves that function well. That would suggest, not as an iron-clad rule, but as a general principle, that sweetness would not be desired, and quite strong acidity not despised. It also tends to favour a choice of rather bland oil, and minimal additional flavourings.

American and British palates prefer much sweeter dressings, whether the sweetness comes directly in the form of sugar, or indirectly by the addition of something like honey, or balsamic vinegar -- I have even encountered jam. This is consistent with a general love of the sweet/sour combination apparent in products such as chutneys, ketchups and so on.

Personally ... I generally avoid sugar, unless making a lemon-juice dressing with an excessively tart lemon, in which case I may add a pinch. But I think "heresy" is too strong a word for it: really just differences in palate.

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personally, my preference is for a tangy-ier dressing--I ususally use a whole lot more cider or red wine vinegar than a standard proportion. I've never used sugar in my dressings. But then I also don't really like sweet dressings, or raspberry vinagrettes or anything like that. They taste too candy-ish for me.

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Would one's preference for using sugar or not, be influenced by the type of greens that will be dressed?

I think sugar in a dressing for iceberg lettuce would be a different matter than for a dressing for arugula, raddichio, or frisee.

In other words, I think it's all about the combinations. It might even also be influenced by other items on the menu.

It's interesting that Julia called it heresy. But I'm currently reading some old James Beard stuff, and he makes some pronouncements that are definitely not in line with modern thinking about cooking. I've been making margin notes; I've thought about compiling them and starting a thread about them. But more reading to do, first.

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Some vinaigrettes I add sugar to, some others (more I'd say) I add honey to, and some don't get either. It depends on the other dressing ingredients and salad components.

But - adding a little sugar or honey won't necessarily make the dressing sweet. It's possible that it takes a little of the edge off, rather than making it sweet.

Having said all that - I really like acidic things, so I tend to use more of a 2:1 oil to vinegar ratio (when making dressing for myself). The little bit of sweetness added to this mixture is probably more necessary than if you're using more oil.

As for tossing it out after a couple of days - I often store extra vinaigrette in the fridge. I don't find it's detrimental to the dressing - and at times may enhance it. If you left it out on the counter, maybe it would go rancid - but kept cold, most dressings will last for at least a week.

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I'm another who personally loathes most sweet-tasting dressings, so I would also be loathe to add sugar to a vinaigrette. But then I'm a freak who tends to make my vinaigrettes either equal parts oil and vinegar, or even with more vinegar than oil. :wacko: In fact, the only dressing I can remember making that had any kind of sweetener at all in it is a mustard-and-maple-syrup vinaigrette I use on lightly-steamed brussels sprouts.

I do realize that the tiny amounts of sugar some of you are talking about here are too little to make the dressing sweet, only enough to balance the acid. But like I said, I like that bite in my dressings, so the last thing I'd want to do is add something to tone it down.

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Hi everyone...vinaigrettes made with lemon or other freshly-squeezed juices seem to have a shorter life. I've usually pitched them after 24 hours.

Yes, that's my experience too. Vinegar-based dressings last longer.

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Sweets vinaigretts... :wacko:

There can be only one:

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 part white vinegar

3 parts oil

salt and pepper.

Season as you like, maybe som shallots, maybe some herbs, maybe a little truffle vinegar. All is lovely.

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