dressing touted as homemade ties in with
local and comfort-food trends. If done
thoughtfully, it can also tie into health and
flavor trends. If the task of developing your
own dressing seems daunting, there is
plenty of outside help available.
FOR STARTERS
Before you dream of exotic flavor
combinations and launch into production,
you have to humble yourself a bit.
"Remember, it’s for the masses,” says
Clark McDaniel, executive chef at Italian
restaurant Paesanos 1604 in San Antonio,
a part of Paesanos Restaurant Group.
Aim for the middle of the road. “You can’t
push the envelope too much. You don’t
want something that only 50% will like.
You want 70%-90% to like it. Otherwise,
you’ve defeated your purpose. Develop
something with the right amount of sweet,
sour and salty, and not one that’s your
favorite or a critic’s favorite.”
achieve. In the case of salad dressings,
she discusses trends, which right now are
classic dressings (ranch and Italian) with a
twist, such as adding bacon, barbecue or
chili flavoring to ranch or developing fruity
vinaigrettes—all the better if the fruit has
antioxidant value, such as pomegranate,
blueberry and açai. Other trends along
better-for-you lines are trans fat free,
healthier fats such as olive oils, and the
addition of healthful ingredients such as
omega- 3 fatty acids.
Carrot/Ginger Dressing
Charles Mereday, Food and
Beverage Consultant
Yield: 1 quart
4 large organic carrots, peeled,
boiled until soft
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 cups grapeseed oil
2 T. grated ginger (fine microplane)
1 T. sesame oil
½ cup honey
1 T. soy sauce
5 sprigs cilantro
McDaniel’s restaurant is the newest of
three Paesanos, with the original offering
a house dressing since 1968. He took the
basic flavor of the dressing and brought
it up to date, leading to his version of
lemon/oregano vinaigrette, with a little
egg as a stabilizer. “The flavor is familiar
to those who have eaten at the older
restaurant, but this has a newer, fresher
taste,” he says. He added a lot more
herbs, and Peppadew peppers for a little
color and sweetness.
One of R.L. Schreiber’s main businesses is
spice blending. “We offer custom blending.
If chefs have a house recipe they want to
make, we can commercialize the spices
or do large-scale production,” Flores says.
This helps the operator cut down on the
time it takes to prepare it in the kitchen,
and ensures consistency and accuracy.
Method: Combine all ingredients
in high-speed blender (Vita-Prep);
blend until smooth (approximately
1-2 minutes).
Experts advise to first consider your
restaurant style and your customers’
interests. A good approach to dressing
development is with a view of full
ingredient disclosure. What do you want
to portray on the label, asks Allison Flores,
applications technologist for seasoning
company R.L. Schreiber Inc., Pompano
Beach, Fla. It may be that your customers
would want low sodium, natural versus
artificial flavors, MSG-free, gluten-free,
clear versus cloudy and so on.
Another option to developing a signature
salad dressing is to take a dressing
already available to foodservice and add
flavor components, which makes it half
the work to prepare in the kitchen, but
can still be called homemade, says Juerg
Wismer, corporate executive chef with
Nestlé Professional, Solon, Ohio. For
example, purchase ranch and add flavor
concentrates—as in roasted garlic or
cilantro/lime.
One of Flores’ jobs is to develop samples
for those with a concept they want to
Nestlé Professional helps operators
develop their recipes and the base, such
as a bland vinaigrette with a little gum
to help it stick together, and then some
seasonings. “We don’t finish the product.
We work with the customer to develop the
right texture and consistency and make
