Ingredients:
250ml white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
375ml (approx. probably more) olive oil (or vegetable oil)
15ml (1 tbsp) mixed herbs
15ml (1 tbsp) tarragon
30ml (2 tbsp) castor sugar
30ml (2 tbsp) coarse grain mustard (in emergency use whole grain)
Our original dressing back in the '80s was tarragon based but in the
mid '90s we started to use salad herbs (which contained garlic and onion,
not popular with Jains, meditation groups etc.). Since 2008 we've used a
blend of mixed herbs and tarragon which seems to cater for most diners.
Instructions:
Pour the white balsamic vinegar into a blender. Add the castor sugar,
mixed herbs, tarragon and coarse grain mustard (whole grain mustard
works BUT not as well). Blend for 10 seconds and then very slowly dribble
in the oil. (As the oil is dribbled in, the hole down the middle of the blender
will slowly reduces in size until it almost vanishes - stop adding the oil at this
point.
The finished dressing should have quite a thick consistency and should
show no sign of separating. Separation generally occurs if the oil is dribbled
in too quickly or a slight separation sometimes occurs if whole grain mustard
is used instead of coarse grain mustard. Stored in an airtight container this
should keep for months.
You can thin the dressing down by blending in some water but the finished
dressing will separate fairly quickly.
