America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

20 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes enough to dress 8 cups of greens)

Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients

¾ cup olive oil 2 cups chopped fresh basil 1 shallot, peeled1 clove garlic clove, peeled¼ cup red wine vinegar ¼ cup water ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Instructions

  1. Heat 1/4 cup oil with 1 cup basil in medium saucepan over medium heat until basil turns bright green and small bubbles appear, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat and steep 5 minutes.
  2. Process shallot, garlic, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and mustard in blender until garlic and shallot are finely chopped, about 15 seconds. With blender running, slowly add remaining oil and steeped basil oil and continue to process until dressing is smooth and emulsified, about 15 seconds. Pack remaining basil into blender and process until dressing is smooth, about 15 seconds. (Dressing can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)
Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Time

20 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 (Makes enough to dress 8 cups of greens)

Ingredients

¾ cup olive oil
2 cups chopped fresh basil
1 shallot, peeled
1 clove garlic clove, peeled
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

¾ cup olive oil
2 cups chopped fresh basil
1 shallot, peeled
1 clove garlic clove, peeled
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

¾ cup olive oil
2 cups chopped fresh basil
1 shallot, peeled
1 clove garlic clove, peeled
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Homemade vinaigrettes are easy to make and much more flavorful than their bottled counterparts. For our Fresh Basil Vinaigrette recipe, we used regular olive oil, which imparted more flavor than canola and vegetable oils but didn’t overpower the herbs the way extra virgin olive oil did. Mixing our vinaigrette recipe in the blender helped to extract the herbs’ flavors.

Instructions

  1. Heat 1/4 cup oil with 1 cup basil in medium saucepan over medium heat until basil turns bright green and small bubbles appear, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat and steep 5 minutes.
  2. Process shallot, garlic, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and mustard in blender until garlic and shallot are finely chopped, about 15 seconds. With blender running, slowly add remaining oil and steeped basil oil and continue to process until dressing is smooth and emulsified, about 15 seconds. Pack remaining basil into blender and process until dressing is smooth, about 15 seconds. (Dressing can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

Keep Exploring

This is a members' feature.