Huffington Magazine Issue 57 | Page 87

EAT THIS Exit HUFFINGTON 07.14.13 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: MICHAEL ROSENFELD/ GETTY IMAGES; JAMES AND JAMES/ GETTY IMAGES; JUSTIN LAMBERT/GETTY IMAGES HOW TO MAKE A CLASSIC VINAIGRETTE: 1.Pour your vinegar (or lemon juice) into the bottom of a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and small amounts of other mix-ins (see #3 above) to the bowl. (Start small. You can always add more later.) Whisk it. Whisk it good. 2.Multiply the amount of vinegar you used by three, and pour that amount of oil into a measuring cup. (For example: If you used 1/3 cup of vinegar, measure out 1 cup of oil.) x 3x 3.Twist a kitchen towel into a long rope, and fashion the rope into a circle on your countertop. Nestle your mixing bowl inside the towel. (This will anchor the bowl as you’re whisking, keeping it from walking across your counter. Seriously, this is a genius tip that you should tell your friends about.) 4.V  ery slowly, pour the oil into the vinegar in a slow, steady stream as you whisk with your other hand. Keep pouring and whisking until all the oil is in the bowl and you have a vinaigrette. (The goal here is to achieve emulsion, which is the marriage of oil and vinegar into a creamy consistency. There’s no such thing as pouring too slowly or whisking too quickly here. If you pour too fast or whisk too slowly, the ingredients won’t emulsify and your vinaigrette will separate.) 5.T  aste it. If it’s not right, adjust the missing ingredients, while whisking, until it tastes just right. Eat it, or refrigerate it. How easy was that?