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This Classic Cobb Salad Dressing, also known as a French Vinaigrette, is a vital element to creating a classic Cobb salad. It’s a delicious all-purpose vinaigrette that is great choice for a wide variety of salads.
If you want to have a true Cobb Salad experience this is the dressing, my friends. It is adapted from a recipe by the great David Lebovitz and it is my favorite all-purpose vinaigrette. This is the real deal, made from scratch Cobb Salad Dressing that finishes a salad in the most perfect way.
Although written specifically to dress my easy Chicken Cobb Salad, it does not stop there. I use this delicious dressing on every type of green salad imaginable. It’s also a great choice for those summer pasta salads.
Ingredients in Classic Cobb Salad Dressing
- red wine vinegar
- extra-virgin olive oil
- canola oil (or another neutral-tasting oil)
- water
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- fresh lemon juice
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt (I use fine ground sea salt)
- minced garlic (see note below)
When it comes to minced garlic I do not have any problem whatsoever with using the minced, jarred variety you can pick up in the produce section at the grocery store. But, hold on! Here is my recommendation on this. If garlic is going into a recipe that is being cooked, the jarred variety is just fine (really, it is). But when it comes to fresh recipes like salad dressings, I recommend using fresh cloves of garlic that are minced just before added for the best flavor. Now, if you’ve got a great big jar of garlic in your fridge it’s going to work out just fine. We’ve got to use what we have on hand these days.
How to Thicken a Vinaigrette
This Classic Cobb Salad Dressing could not be more easy to prepare if you’ve got a mason jar on hand.
Place all of the ingredients into the mason jar, secure the lid (this part is important!), and shake, shake, shake like crazy. The ingredients will emulsify (thicken) slightly the more you shake it. This results in a glorious texture without the need to dirty your food processor.
No mason jar? A plastic storage container with a tight lid will do. Just be sure to have a secure hold on the lid when shaking.
How Long Does Vinaigrette Stay Fresh?
If properly stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this Classic Cobb Dressing should stay fresh and tasty for up to two weeks. This is true of any vinaigrette as long as it doesn’t contain ingredients like dairy or tomato sauce. Those are best if used within a week.
Just remove it from the refrigerator and give it a good shake before adding it a wide variety of salads.
Classic Cobb Salad Dressing (French Vinaigrette)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup canola oil (or another neutral-tasting oil)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a wide mouth pint-sized mason jar, seal tightly, and shake it like crazy. Dressing will emulsify (thicken) when you shake it up really well.
- Store dressing in a an airtight container in the refrigerator. Dressing will keep well for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from David Lebovitz
Valerie Leigh says
love the dressings do you have a good French dressing
Valerie says
I don’t currently, but it may end up on my list 🙂