You Must Try My Vinaigrette

Today is Isaiah's first birthday. We are hosting a small party for him that has a cute jungle theme. We are doing our best to prepare great food and snacks for our guests in anticipation of them bringing noisy, plastic toys that will surely be choking hazards.

I am very excited to see how Isaiah responds to all of the attention that he will be receiving today. I am also very excited to see how people respond to my "famous" vinaigrette. I prepared hamburgers, chicken and guacamole. In my family, my hamburgers are second-to-none as I throw in my special ingredients well in advance so they have optimum taste. They look like your average hamburger, but when you bite into them there is an explosion of flavor. The guacamole has also become a staple at family events. However, I have the most pleasure in today's meal from my vinaigrette.

It is actually quite simple. I start with whole peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and crush the pepper before adding sea salt. It is pleasantly fragrant and endorphins are released immediately following the addition of garlic to the salt and pepper. I usually pause and inhale the aroma from the simple concoction.

Following my work with the mortar and pestle, I pour olive oil into a glass jar. The quality of the extra virgin olive oil is extremely pivotal. I always use the highest quality olive oil. In my mind, I believe that I should never use olive oil in a recipe if I am not willing to drink the olive oil separately. I have never actually drank olive oil straight, though.

What makes it a vinaigrette is the vinegar. The choice of vinegar is very important. Champagne vinegar works very well, but lately I have taken it one step further by using special citrus champagne vinegar. This tops off the flavor of the vinaigrette because it provides some "zing" with the essence of lemon and the sparkle of champagne. It brings an interesting taste that is crisp, light and dry with a twist of lemon. It is this "secret" ingredient that leaves the consumer pleasantly puzzled by what they are experiencing inside their mouth.

Finally, I mix all of the ingredients together. The finished product should contain three times more olive oil than vinegar and you must whisk vigorously so it properly infuses all of the flavors. I will be using the vinaigrette on a carefully prepared spinach salad. The last time I made this salad I put fresh basil on top and it was fabulous.

I hope I am not putting too much pressure on the vinaigrette today, but I am very excited to hear the feedback. It works well as a marinade, too.