Saffron and mace vinaigrette
We tend to think of vinaigrette as salad dressing but this quick sauce has a wide variety of potential uses from a marinade for meats and fish to a dip for crudités. This version uses saffron, which adds bold color and a delicate aroma and taste. Mace is a somewhat astringent spice that comes from the membrane surrounding a nutmeg, and it complements saffron’s flavor nicely.
This vinaigrette is good spooned over any firm fleshed white fish and is delightful on steamed vegetables too. Whenever we make vinaigrettes we like to macerate the herbs and aromatics in the vinegar for a short time before adding the oil; this allows their full flavor to imbue the vinegar and, ultimately, the completed vinaigrette.
Ingrediënten
MAKES: about 360 ml
- ¼ tsp ground saffron
- 15 ml boiling water
- ½ tsp sugar
- 80 ml champagne vinegar
- ½ shallot minced
- ½ tsp minced thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp salt or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ⅛ tsp ground mace
- 240 mlextra virgin olive oil
Instructies
- Dissolve the saffron in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of boiling water and set aside for the color to deepen and the water to cool.
- Combine the sugar and vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk well so that the sugar dissolves.
- Add the shallot and thyme and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the saffron water, salt, pepper and mace.
- Pour the olive oil into the vinegar mixture in a thin stream while whisking vigorously until all the olive oil is used up.
- Use immediately over steamed vegetables or grilled white Alaskan salmon and store in a sealed container for up to 2 days.
- Shake the vinaigrette well to use if it has been sitting.
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