Honey French Dressing

The orange-tinted dressing on classic chopped salads, made from scratch with honey doing the work usually handed to corn syrup. The flavor base is the same as old-school French dressing: paprika for warmth and color, dry mustard for sharpness, celery seed for that distinctive savory back note, and a bit of grated onion for body. Vinegar and lemon juice bring the acid bite that cuts through the sweetness.

Slowly beating the oil in is the move. Drizzling oil into a vinegar-honey mixture while whisking constantly creates a temporary emulsion of tiny oil droplets suspended in the acid, which is what gives the dressing its creamy, cling-to-greens texture instead of separating into two layers.

It will eventually break in the fridge. A quick re-shake brings it right back, no whisking needed.

Kitchen Tips

• Grate the onion on the small holes of a box grater. Larger pieces will not break down and will rise to the surface.
• Stream the oil in slowly, in a thin and steady pour. Dumping it all at once kills the emulsion before it has a chance to form.
• Taste before storing. Honey varies in sweetness from jar to jar, and you may want a touch more vinegar or lemon juice to balance.
• Keeps for two weeks refrigerated. Shake well before each use.

Variations

• Drop the white sugar and add an extra tablespoon of honey for a deeper, all-honey version.
• Use cider vinegar in place of plain white vinegar for fruitier acidity.
• Swap celery seeds for poppy seeds and pour over fruit salads or spinach with strawberries.