You can cook like Julia Child, at least when it comes to salad dressing

Cooking icon Julia Child was a hero of mine when I was a kid. Her PBS shows kindled my love of cooking, and of experimenting when I cook.

But I’ve never attempted her recipes, even though I’ve owned some of her books over the years. They all seemed more complicated than I could handle.

If you’ve felt the same way, take heart. I found one of her recipes you and I can easily make, and enjoy, since it seems relatively heart-healthy too.

It’s in this piece, Julia Child’s Timeless Vinaigrette Helped Me Fall in Love with Salad on Eatingwell.com.

Start with these ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar or a combination of vinegar and lemon juice 
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and/or salad oil, such as grapeseed oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallot or scallions and/or ¼ teaspoon dried herbs, such as tarragon or basil
• Big pinch of freshly ground pepper

I’d omit the salt and stick with olive oil. But even if you use the salt, it’s still a relatively small amount given the amount of dressing you’re creating.

The story lists salt content per serving at 43 mgs. That’s for a tablespoon and a half. I always use more dressing than that, so I’d omit it, as I said.

Making the dressing is simple:

“Combine vinegar, mustard and salt in a bowl; whisk until dissolved. Whisk in oil, shallot (or scallions and/or herbs) and pepper. (Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a screw-top jar; cover and shake vigorously for 30 seconds to blend thoroughly.) Taste carefully and adjust seasoning as desired.”

You can keep that in your refrigerator for up to three days.

As Julia would say, bon appétit!