Name: Orange-Tarragon Vinaigrette
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon; 1 shallot , peeled; 1 clove garlic , peeled; 1/4 cup white wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons grated orange zest; 1 teaspoon honey; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Why This Recipe Works

Homemade vinaigrettes are easy to make and much more flavorful than their bottled counterparts. For our Orange-Tarragon 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.

Before You Begin

Make sure to remove only the bright orange zest from the orange; the white pith beneath it is unpleasantly bitter.

Instructions

Heat 1/4 cup oil with 1 tablespoon tarragon in medium saucepan over medium heat until tarragon turns bright green and small bubbles appear, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat and steep 5 minutes.

Process shallot, garlic, vinegar, zest, honey, salt, pepper, mustard, and remaining tablespoon tarragon in blender until garlic and shallot are finely chopped, about 15 seconds. With blender running, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup oil and steeped tarragon oil and continue to process until dressing is smooth and emulsified, about 15 seconds. (Dressing can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)