Tangy French Salad Dressing Recipe {Fresh from the Kitchen}

Earlier this month, I shared a recipe for Mom's Marvelous Honey Mustard Salad Dressing and I promised that I would also share our favorite Tangy French Salad Dressing recipe as well. This recipe was developed because "French" dressing is the only kind my husband will eat. We don't want to buy the various versions of it because the ingredients in most of them are simply dreadful for someone trying to go more organic, and organic versions cost an arm and a leg. So it was to the cookbooks I went. I found a version and we made it--but it was bland. So I started tweaking it as I always do. I finally found a combination of ingredients that creates a version he enjoys--it's actually kind of a mix of a traditional "french" dressing and its cousins "catalina" and "tangy tomato". So without further ado, here is my recipe for Tangy French Salad Dressing.

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When it comes to salad dressing, I like to keep it simple. If I can't throw it all in a blender, give it a whirl, I don't want to be bothered with it! So none of my recipes need any fancy tools except a blender! In fact, you could just put it all in a mason jar and shake it! It would also work with any kind of salad dressing shaker as well.

A lot of salad dressing recipes call for fancy oils, but unless you have a personal preference for oils and want to use something difference, I always just use extra virgin olive oil in all my dressings that call for oil or salad oil. I have never had issues with flavor. Next in regards to vinegar. While you can use any vinegar really, I keep mine to either Red Wine Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, or Rice Vinegar. For this recipe, I have tried them all, and it tastes the best (we think anyway) with Red Wine Vinegar. I have also tried using different infusion versions of Red Wine Vinegar in it (pomegranate is my favorite version) and it's delightful. The only vinegar substitution I recommend for this particular recipe, would be plain white vinegar.

Here's the recipe--just 8 ingredients!

Tangy French Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 c. Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3/4 c. ketchup

1/4 tsp celery salt (or celery seed)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 T. Oregon Trail Juniper Berry Spice (optional)

1/4 c. Water--as needed to thin.

Put it all in a blender (or a quart jar) and give it a nice long whirl to get it all mixed up. I store mine in a salad dressing container or a mason jar. Both work perfectly fine. You will always need to shake it before using because it will get a bit thicker. 

Side note: I highly recommend you dip your finger and taste your final result. If it's too vinegary, you could add another dash of ketchup or a smidge of sugar. If you want it a bit thinner, add some water. I usually end up adding about 1/4 c. of water to make it pourable.

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So there you have it. Our family's two favorite salad dressings. We also enjoy using Ranch dressing for a dip, but you know, I have yet to find a homemade recipe that I like--so for now, we will continue to purchase a version we love. But I am hopeful that one of these days I will find one that's tasty!