I’ve gathered 4 different variations of the Classic French Vinaigrette along with some words from Julia Child from her classic cooking book Mastering the Art of French Cooking, “a basic French vinaigrette is a mixture of good wine vinegar, good oil, salt, pepper, fresh green herbs in season and mustard if you like it. Garlic is employed usually only in southern France. Worcestershire, curry, cheese, and tomato flavorings are not French additions, and sugar is heresy.” Got to love Julia!
Her cookbook states the proportion is one part vinegar to three parts oil. Making the vinaigrette fresh is always best as it tends to become rancid as it sits for several days. Salad greens should also be dry so the vinaigrette sticks to the greens.
Classic French Vinaigrettes 4 Ways
A few variations of Julia Child's Classic French Vinaigrette. Perfect to dress any salad.
All vinaigrette recipes shown yield about 1/2 cup.
Ingredients
Julia Child's Classic French Vinaigrette
- ½-2 Tablespoons good wine vinegar or mixture of vinegar and lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard (optional)
- 6 Tablespoons salad oil or olive oil
- Big pinch of black pepper
- Optional: 1-2 Tablespoons minced herbs such as parsley, chives, tarragon, basil or pinch of dry herbs
Classic Vinaigrette with Garlic (southern France)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 Tablespoons champagne vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
- ½-2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of black pepper
Classic Vinaigrette with Shallots (Food & Wine)
- 2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
- ½ Tablespoon shallots, finely minced
- ½ Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup good olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Same Instructions For All Four Recipes
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Add ingredients to a screw-top jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Recipe Notes
Dry herbs are more intense in flavor than fresh herbs. If you are using dry herbs, add a pinch at a time until the vinaigrette is to your liking. If using fresh herbs, follow Julia’s recommendation of 1-2 Tablespoons.
