Orange Brown Butter Vinaigrette
This dressing performs well with bitter lettuces and leafy greens like radicchio and kale.
A sweet and nutty salad dressing that is a great way to make a fortifying salad for lunch or dinner. It’s the perfect way to brighten up a cold winter day.
In California, we get an amazing variety of produce in the winter and early spring. I love cruising the farmers market for Meyer lemons, blood oranges, and citrons. The possibilities are endless. The problem is, we tend to only use lemons for salad dressings. Mixing lemon juice with an emulsifying compound like mustard makes for a classic French bistro vinaigrette. While this is perfectly fine for a salad dressing, I think we should use more varieties of citrus and emulsifiers.
Take this brown butter and orange vinaigrette. At first you picture something greasy and overpowering but the orange juice gives it a sweet, acidic taste that pairs well with the clarified butter. Once I make a big batch of this dressing, I can keep it in the fridge for at least a month. The fat from the brown butter solidifies at the top, making an air-tight seal to preserve the dressing. Use it on salads, grain bowls, or even grilled salmon — anything that could use a note of sweet citrus.
Serves 8
Ingredients for Dressing
1 cup orange juice
1 shallot
1 teaspoon mustard
2 teaspoons orange zest
4 oz unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
White vinegar
Directions
Zest and juice your oranges. This will take about 3-4 oranges.
Combine zest, shallots and juice in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until reduced by half.
Meanwhile, brown your butter so that the milk solids are golden brown. Remove orange reduction from stove and add to a separate bowl.
Add olive oil, mustard and whisk to combine. Then, slowly drizzle in the brown butter. Adjust seasoning and add to your salad or bowl.