"I kept thinking of buttermilk, but I needed some fat to bring out and balance the tang, and that is how the buttermilk vinaigrette came about," O'Shea said.
"It's a great accent to the tomatoes and the smokiness of the salmon." And it works just as well with plain seared salmon fillets, the chef says.
O'Shea's menu of Southern-style foods with contemporary flair includes a unique raisin vinaigrette inspired by her memories of carrot-raisin salad, a dish prevalent at family functions when she was growing up.
"It's a very '70s salad, so I decided to update it," O'Shea said. "And this is where it led me."
After reformulating the salad ingredients as a viniagrette, she also rethought its use, drizzling it over a juicy pork chop and white beans as a finishing sauce. Indeed, vinaigrettes have virtually unlimited seasoning potential - from savory herbs to sweet fruits, with almost every acidic edible eligible to assume the "vinegar" role - in moderation.
Among the most memorable of the genre is the green goddess vinaigrette from food goddess Alice Waters, who created a lighter, brighter version of the original classic dressing at her Chez Panisse using white vinegar and egg yolks instead of mayonnaise.
At Jasper in Downingtown, chef/owner Nick DiFonzo takes pride in creating some of the area's most interesting "house" salads, which come with each entree and change weekly.
One recent salad selection that drew raves from tasters at Jasper featured the chef's champagne pear vinaigrette on field greens, shaved fennel, carrots, walnuts and diced pears. Champagne vinaigrette is one of the dozen or so basics in DiFonzo's repertoire of favored dressings.
Vinaigrettes also get their due in Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers (Lake Isle Press, $19.95), which offers a wide range of recipes, including the basic lemon and Dijon dressings below.
