"salad dressings" news and stories

Pun intended: Every respectable salad should come to the table well dressed, and this is the cookbook that can help you dress your greens for whatever occasion they will be in attendance. There are dozens of recipes here for both salad dressings and salads, from the lively creations with which Americans commence their meal and the French conclude it to main dish salads for lunch or supper. Indispensable to every cook's repertoire is a good vinaigrette, of which Salad Dressings by Jessica Strand offers fifteen, from perfect versions of such classic vinaigrettes as Dijon, Tarragon or Balsamic to snazzier vinaigrettes such as Tangerine, Roasted Red Pepper, or Stilton, along with recipes for such luncheon classics as Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.

Learn how to make classic cream dressings like Green Goddess, Ranch or Blue Cheese, and then put your new skill to work with recipes for rib-eye steak salad with Romesco or Dijon Cream potato salad with steamed mussels and green beans. The final section highlights salads outside the wooden bowl with dressings and salads with Asian, Latin and Middle Eastern influences -- try Broiled Calamari Salad with Thai Lime Dressing or, if you're looking to spruce up your dinnertime greens, anoint them with Lime, Tequila and Cilantro Dressing.

Yes, there are some omissions (where is Cobb? where is panzanella? where are fruit salads?) but this slim volume contains a lot of good recipes, spiked with the publisher's usual gorgeous food styling and photography. Nothing makes you feel better than eating a nice fresh salad, so make one today -- but remember: if dinner tonight includes a Caesar salad, Caesar is not Caesar without anchovies, so make your dressing from scratch (page 32), and don't skimp on the garlicky croutons.

It's Labor Day Weekend, so the side salads are going to be coming out full-force at BBQs around the country. Thankfully, the San Francisco Chronicle's Taster's Choice taste-tested bottled Ranch dressings so you can pick up a good one to save yourself a little time and energy. Strangely enough, their top two picks were store brands, Safeway and Albertson's, with the Safeway brand scoring enough points to earn itself a spot in the Taster's Choice Hall of Fame. Bottled Ranch; who knew? The dressings and their scores out of 100 are listed below:

• Safeway 81
• Albertsons 68
• Toby's 58
• T. Marzetti 57
• Hidden Valley 56
• Wish-Bone 35
• Ken's Steak House 30
• Litehouse 27
• Marie's 24
• Kraft 21
• Annie's Naturals 20
• Newman's Own 15
• Trader Joe's 14

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Of course my earlier piece on matching wine with salad could be viewed as a little simplistic. Salads rarely come "undressed." A little mayonnaise or a light sprinkling of the extra virgin olive oil shouldn't make much difference to your wine choice, but throw in more strongly flavoured dressings and the wine selection might need to be adjusted to cope with the flavours

Vinaigrettes - vinegar is a killer to wine (try lemon juice instead) but crisp dry whites, Vinho Verde, Sauvignon Blanc, Romorantin, Verdicchio might be OK.

Creamy Dressings - need a creamy wine to match. Chardonnay springs to mind but go easy on the oak.

Blue Cheese Dressings - another tricky one. Never found anything that could be called a 'great match' but a Sauvignon Blanc should work OK.

Coriander or Garlic Dressings - a friend of mine is mad about Coriander (I'm expecting a Coriander cheesecake any day) but in a salad it is back to the herb-flattering Sauvignon Blanc.

Soy Sauce Dressings - rosé here, people

Barbecue Dressings - going more towards barbecues here rather than salads, but Merlot and Zinfandel should pop up on your list.

While bottled salad dressings are easy to get, not to mention that they can be found everywhere, a homemade dressing just seems to taste better. A simple vinaigrette takes on more flavor from the care you put into it and the fresh herbs that you can toss into a creamy dressing will blow away most things you can buy. The Best 50 Salad Dressings is a book that can give you a start on making your own dressings at home, something which isn't nearly as difficult as it sounds. It's a small book, on 78 pages, so it gets right to the point. With 50 recipes to choose from, you're sure to find at least one or two  you like and since the book is only $5.95, you'll get your money's worth just from that. There are vinaigrettes, creamy buttermilk and blue cheese dressings and fat-free choices, too. There are some basic ingredients (oils, mustard, vinegars, garlic, lemon, etc) that you need that will get you through most of the recipes and once you have those on hand, you are only 5 minutes away from dressing.

Beyond the dressings themselves, there are some serving suggestions from appetizers, entrees and sides that will help you find uses for your new favorite flavors beyond adding them to a bowl of greens.

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